deceive

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb deceive differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of deceive are beguile, delude, and mislead. While all these words mean "to lead astray or frustrate usually by underhandedness," deceive implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness.

tried to deceive me about the cost

In what contexts can beguile take the place of deceive?

Although the words beguile and deceive have much in common, beguile stresses the use of charm and persuasion in deceiving.

was beguiled by false promises

When is delude a more appropriate choice than deceive?

While the synonyms delude and deceive are close in meaning, delude implies deceiving so thoroughly as to obscure the truth.

we were deluded into thinking we were safe

When is it sensible to use mislead instead of deceive?

The words mislead and deceive can be used in similar contexts, but mislead implies a leading astray that may or may not be intentional.

I was misled by the confusing sign

Examples of deceive in a Sentence

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Recent Examples on the Web The ostensible realism of a play like Meghan Kennedy’s The Counter can be deceiving — not because fire is eventually going to rain from the sky or a unicorn enter stage right, but because deeply familiar people and places can lull us into reading only the surfaces of things. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024 Neglecting The Kitchen Sink Your sink may look spick-and-span, but looks can be deceiving. Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 7 Oct. 2024 Focusing On Real Life Interactions To Avoid Deception Many users report feeling deceived and disappointed after getting emotionally invested in someone over text, only to discover that the person had been dishonest. Mark Travers, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024 After the report was released, Schiff slammed Barr for deceiving the nation to protect Trump. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for deceive 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceive
Verb
  • Your partner is either fooling himself or attempting to fool you.
    R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Fischer, who played the paper company's receptionist Pam (until she was promoted), explained that creator Greg Daniels even filmed a fake version of the episode to fool them.
    Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Cybercriminals relentlessly launch phishing attacks at employees, trying to coax or trick them into providing their personal information and credentials.
    Ilia Sotnikov, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
  • Caution using them to judge individual pieces of writing and artwork is warranted, especially with a new wave of tools available to trick them.
    Kate Knibbs, WIRED, 28 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • Kennedy’s nonprofit falsely links vaccines to chronic diseases, citing misleading articles and studies that show unvaccinated populations have fewer chronic conditions than their vaccinated peers.
    Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
  • Fake bot accounts and deepfakes are on the rise, often proliferated by foreign adversaries, while platforms like X have loosened efforts to limit misleading content.
    Jenn Brice, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near deceive

Cite this Entry

“Deceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceive. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on deceive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!