as in to fool
to cause to believe what is untrue
he went to great lengths to deceive his family about the nature of his new job at the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in misleading
tending or having power to deceive
the deceiving nature of most flat maps of the globe causes some people to believe erroneously that Greenland is actually bigger than South America
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tricking
to cause to believe what is untrue
he went to great lengths to deceive his family about the nature of his new job at the mall
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deceive
Walden Green, Pitchfork, 19 Sep. 2025
The fragmentary Ni 12501 tablet from the Early Dynastic III period of Mesopotamia breaks off when Fox deceives the inhabitants of the netherworld in his quest to retrieve the storm god Ishkur.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Essence, 12 Sep. 2025
Share your horror at learning that this person is deceiving family members and basically stealing from them.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceive
Verb
Predatory resellers - including Live Nation itself - should no longer be allowed to gouge and deceive fans under the guise of access to live music.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 19 Sep. 2025
The fragmentary Ni 12501 tablet from the Early Dynastic III period of Mesopotamia breaks off when Fox deceives the inhabitants of the netherworld in his quest to retrieve the storm god Ishkur.
—Rafil Kroll-Zaidi, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Few things in life are more deceiving than a Week 1 game, especially those played in a rainstorm on the other side of an ocean.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
The honeymoon phase can be deceiving.
—Essence, 12 Sep. 2025
Share your horror at learning that this person is deceiving family members and basically stealing from them.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceive
Adjective
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To be fair, that number is slightly misleading.—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
30 Sep. 2025
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But the content, murky and misleading, is designed to trick Californians into voting for a power grab.—
Laura Koval,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Specifically, the four customers argued that Hershey's violated Florida Deceptive And Unfair Trade Practices Act, which is designed to protect Floridians from unfair competition, deceptive acts and unethical practices.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
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In recent years, users have increasingly been taking to court to challenge allegedly deceptive practices by Amazon.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Evaluating defamation claims where the report contains demonstrably false factual assertions.—
Tim Reynolds,
Fortune,
3 Oct. 2025
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However, as several independent experts interviewed by NPR note, that claim is false.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceive. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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