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
Relevance
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
Steve Madeley, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Scammers use slight differences to deceive and gain trust.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 19 May 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
Pablo Sarabia, who is expected to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season, flattered to deceive.
—Steve Madeley, New York Times, 21 May 2025
Scammers use slight differences to deceive and gain trust.
—Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 19 May 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
-
Last year, the Biden administration's Transportation Department opened an inquiry ordering American, Delta Air Lines, Southwest and United to provide records and submit reports to ensure consumers do not face unfair, deceptive, or anticompetitive practices.—
David Shepardson,
USA Today,
3 June 2025
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The quest to build human-level AI agents using techniques known to produce deceptive tendencies, Bengio says, is comparable to a car speeding down a narrow mountain road, with steep cliffs on either side, and thick fog obscuring the path ahead.—
Harry Booth,
Time,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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The decision to deploy Dembele as a false nine for a 3-1 home win over Lyon in mid-December proved the spark for a stupendous run of goal-scoring form in which the France international racked up 27 goals in only 22 appearances.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
30 May 2025
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Their accountant filed two false corporate tax returns, claiming one of the couple’s firms earned no money in 2015 and 2016.—
Howard Gleckman,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Deceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceive. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.
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