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
Mark Carey, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Your red eyes and runny noses don’t deceive you—seasonal allergies are getting worse, a miserable reality for nearly one in three US adults and one in four children.
—Umair Irfan, Wired News, 5 Apr. 2025
Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025
Any clinic that is promising instant, full growth in a few weeks is deceiving you.
—Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceive
Verb
Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona Dortmund, Champions League finalists last year, have flattered to deceive this season.
—Mark Carey, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Your red eyes and runny noses don’t deceive you—seasonal allergies are getting worse, a miserable reality for nearly one in three US adults and one in four children.
—Umair Irfan, Wired News, 5 Apr. 2025
Verb
But those numbers are deceiving, given his form over the last six weeks of the season.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025
Any clinic that is promising instant, full growth in a few weeks is deceiving you.
—Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deceive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceive
Adjective
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Without resources or expertise to vet influencers properly, these companies become vulnerable to deceptive practices.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2025
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In 2022, the California DMV sued Tesla, saying the company engaged in deceptive marketing and advertising practices around its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Last year’s 17-9 start proved to be a false spring, one that lulled fans into thinking Craig Counsell replacing David Ross was the real difference between an 83-win Cubs team and the postseason.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2025
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Environmental protection versus energy affordability is a false choice.—
Noah Ginsburg,
New York Daily News,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceive. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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