1
as in deception
the inclination or practice of misleading others through lies or trickery
a conscienceless adventuress who never earned anything except through cheating
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in adultery
a sexual encounter or relationship between a married person and someone other than their spouse
she swore that if there was ever any cheating, she'd leave in a heartbeat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in dishonest
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in misrepresenting
to use dishonest methods to achieve a goal
students who cheat on tests end up never knowing anything
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in lying
to be sexually unfaithful
he suspects that his girlfriend is cheating on him
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in disappointing
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of
the daredevil survived his plunge over the falls with barely a scratch, having cheated death once again
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in hustling
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
a despicable confidence man who heartlessly cheated elderly people out of their savings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cheating
Austin Sarat,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
Other research on high school cheating found in 2020 that 64% of 70,000 high school students across the country admitted to cheating on a test, and 58% admitted to plagiarism.
—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
Whatever romance Rodrigo is tracing the history of apparently did not end in cheating or any other horrible behavior that would lead her back toward the kind of recriminatory rockers that were among the previous albums’ highlights.
—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
12 June 2026
Just needed his seat in Congress despite his lying and cheating, kind of like the guy sitting in the White House.
—
Dp Opinion,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
At the beginning of the year, Blanche personally ordered prosecutors to stand down from cases against diesel emissions cheating.
—
Molly Redden,
ProPublica,
8 June 2026
The first goal at the Azteca was blatant cheating.
—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
On that day, members of the group were angry at betrayals from colleagues and cheating spouses.
—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
Some companies initially prohibited candidates from using AI during tests to prevent cheating.
—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
12 Nov. 2025
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
Everybody says Democrats are cheating!
—
Letters To The Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 June 2026
In the United Kingdom, the head of England’s exam watchdog warned earlier this month that AI glasses and smart devices like earpieces could worsen cheating in exams.
—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
After getting caught cheating during a crew battle by using members from other gaming crews, I was blacklisted by the 3DS community for a couple of months.
—
Kenneth Okeke,
Chicago Tribune,
26 June 2026
But many instructors don’t report incidents of cheating to administrators responsible for enforcing those rules and meting out punishments.
—
Austin Sarat,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
Some of it’s because spectators accused him of cheating.
—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
19 June 2026
For example, a spouse who catches their partner cheating and kills someone in the heat of emotion.
—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
After welcoming a second child, dodging more cheating rumors, and splitting again, Cardi filed for divorce a second time — before announcing her third pregnancy with Offset a day later.
—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 June 2026
Noun
Other research on high school cheating found in 2020 that 64% of 70,000 high school students across the country admitted to cheating on a test, and 58% admitted to plagiarism.
—
Austin Sarat,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
Other research on high school cheating found in 2020 that 64% of 70,000 high school students across the country admitted to cheating on a test, and 58% admitted to plagiarism.
—
Austin Sarat,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
Whatever romance Rodrigo is tracing the history of apparently did not end in cheating or any other horrible behavior that would lead her back toward the kind of recriminatory rockers that were among the previous albums’ highlights.
—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
12 June 2026
Just needed his seat in Congress despite his lying and cheating, kind of like the guy sitting in the White House.
—
Dp Opinion,
Denver Post,
8 June 2026
At the beginning of the year, Blanche personally ordered prosecutors to stand down from cases against diesel emissions cheating.
—
Molly Redden,
ProPublica,
8 June 2026
The first goal at the Azteca was blatant cheating.
—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
On that day, members of the group were angry at betrayals from colleagues and cheating spouses.
—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
Some companies initially prohibited candidates from using AI during tests to prevent cheating.
—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Adjective
The federation may sanction a player who makes unfounded accusations based on emotion or insufficient data, according to its anti-cheating laws.
—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
12 Nov. 2025
Verb
Either way, Angela’s slip is definitely showing in terms of behind-the-scenes messiness (seriously, enough is enough with the cheating stories!
—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
29 June 2026
Everybody says Democrats are cheating!
—
Letters To The Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 June 2026
In the United Kingdom, the head of England’s exam watchdog warned earlier this month that AI glasses and smart devices like earpieces could worsen cheating in exams.
—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
27 June 2026
After getting caught cheating during a crew battle by using members from other gaming crews, I was blacklisted by the 3DS community for a couple of months.
—
Kenneth Okeke,
Chicago Tribune,
26 June 2026
But many instructors don’t report incidents of cheating to administrators responsible for enforcing those rules and meting out punishments.
—
Austin Sarat,
Fortune,
23 June 2026
Some of it’s because spectators accused him of cheating.
—
Brody Miller,
New York Times,
19 June 2026
For example, a spouse who catches their partner cheating and kills someone in the heat of emotion.
—
Lorena O’Neil,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
After welcoming a second child, dodging more cheating rumors, and splitting again, Cardi filed for divorce a second time — before announcing her third pregnancy with Offset a day later.
—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheating
Noun
-
So, that's a kind of deception.
-
The county argues the grand jury fundamentally misunderstood what happened before the explosion, saying its investigation relied on speculation instead of evidence and wrongly blamed county officials for a criminal enterprise prosecutors say was built on years of deception.
Noun
-
The filings alleged adultery as the reason behind the divorce.
-
Public opinion is against adultery.
Adjective
-
An honest summary would still pass the buck to the voters on a grossly dishonest scheme, but at least the voters might recognize a description that doesn’t cajole, coax and mislead them.
-
What is obvious is that the only thing as dishonest as FIFA’s insistence that the breaks are only because of its concerns about players’ health is FIFA’s claiming that the stoppages don’t impact matches.
Verb
-
Lawyers can face serious sanctions, including Florida Bar complaints, for citing nonexistent cases or misrepresenting prior rulings.
-
At the same time, organizations can't assume every candidate is misrepresenting themselves simply because AI was involved somewhere in the process.
Verb
-
Not to mention, oversized boxes take up a ton of space even when lying flat.
-
Officers found McFarland lying dead in the parking lot.
Verb
-
The stock has been disappointing this year, but it's been able to string together a few positive weeks in a row, pushing shares from around $73 in mid-May to $78 today.
-
And yet, the comfortable resolution in the parting note feels all too schematic, like an after-school special; disappointing in a film that gives us something a lot more complex until then, including an excellent intervention scene between a defensive Garance and her theater troupe.
Verb
-
Letting go of the idea that success requires hustling at all costs — and replacing it with goals that feel attainable — can help founders shift toward a more sustainable approach, one where progress doesn't come at the cost of their well-being.
-
Sweeney’s character, Cassie Howard, ends the final episode still hustling, despite the violent death of her husband Nate (Jacob Elordi), the passing of her high school friend Rue (Zendaya), and the dismantling of her OnlyFans account.
Noun
-
David Vander Meer, 49, was being held at Clark County Detention Center on first-degree murder and insurance fraud charges stemming from the death of his wife, Bernadette, two decades ago.
-
According to prosecutors, Eidleh deposited more than $5 million in fraud proceeds, kickbacks and bribes into accounts associated with shell companies in an effort to conceal the source of the money.
Cite this Entry
“Cheating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheating. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
