as in deceived
to cause to believe what is untrue
we were duped into thinking the dummy was a real alien
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of duped
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
Once thought of as unsophisticated and easily duped, a new breed of retail investor is giving the professionals who have long dismissed them a run for their money, according to investors and market data analysts interviewed by CNBC.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
Squibb plays Thelma Post, a grandmother who gets duped by a phone scammer, discovers her mistake, and makes a perilous journey through the streets of Los Angeles to track down the culprit.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
Police said at least four of their victims were duped by low-ball offers on newer cars.
—Joe Holden, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
Deadline’s investigation revealed that Screen Culture spliced together official footage with AI images to create franchise trailers that duped many YouTube viewers.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2025
Glenda Mooneyham, a South Carolina widow in her 70s, was duped into depositing $30,000 in a Bitcoin Depot ATM inside a Circle K in November 2023.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
North Korean agents duped a developer working at a service used by Bybit to install malware that granted them access to bypass the multifactor authentication.
—Nolan Fahrenkopf, The Conversation, 16 Dec. 2025
The network’s resulting internal investigation in 1996 never resolved discrepancies in Bashir’s explanations, Webb alleges in the book — depriving Diana of the chance to learn she was being duped.
—Theresa Braine, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
Verb
Crowds of people apparently duped by misleading social media posts braved the cold for a New Year’s Eve fireworks show at New York’s Brooklyn Bridge.
—Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
Once thought of as unsophisticated and easily duped, a new breed of retail investor is giving the professionals who have long dismissed them a run for their money, according to investors and market data analysts interviewed by CNBC.
—Alex Harring, CNBC, 31 Dec. 2025
Squibb plays Thelma Post, a grandmother who gets duped by a phone scammer, discovers her mistake, and makes a perilous journey through the streets of Los Angeles to track down the culprit.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Dec. 2025
Police said at least four of their victims were duped by low-ball offers on newer cars.
—Joe Holden, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
Deadline’s investigation revealed that Screen Culture spliced together official footage with AI images to create franchise trailers that duped many YouTube viewers.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 18 Dec. 2025
Glenda Mooneyham, a South Carolina widow in her 70s, was duped into depositing $30,000 in a Bitcoin Depot ATM inside a Circle K in November 2023.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 17 Dec. 2025
North Korean agents duped a developer working at a service used by Bybit to install malware that granted them access to bypass the multifactor authentication.
—Nolan Fahrenkopf, The Conversation, 16 Dec. 2025
The network’s resulting internal investigation in 1996 never resolved discrepancies in Bashir’s explanations, Webb alleges in the book — depriving Diana of the chance to learn she was being duped.
—Theresa Braine, Mercury News, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duped
Adjective
-
Here, this happily deluded dingus is played by a modern master of the type, David Cross.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
17 Dec. 2025
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The Athletic was told of one manager turning down a mid-table Premier League club because their ambitious and/or deluded owner had promised to sign Kylian Mbappe, a couple of years before the French superstar moved to… Real Madrid.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Your husband claims not to have known the weekend arrangements in advance, claiming you were both deceived — not only by his old friends, but by their wives, and by the single female neighbor.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
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The agency’s lawsuit asserts Instacart deceived consumers with false advertising, failure to provide refunds and unlawful subscription enrollment processes.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Accountancy has seen several cheating scandals in recent years, with the Big Four firms hit with multimillion-dollar fines after staff tricked internal exams, but the sector is far from alone.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
29 Dec. 2025
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The initial scheme involved a nonprofit organization that tricked state and federal officials into paying them to serve food to thousands of hungry children but never provided the meals.—
Jonah Kaplan,
CBS News,
18 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Quick hits — Canales told reporters that the refs in the Panthers’ loss to the Bucs on Saturday never gave the Panthers the chance to replay a critical down after an erroneous whistle stopped it dead.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Jan. 2026
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In Wiggins case, the court ruled the trial judge gave erroneous legal instructions to the jury.—
Stephen Swanson,
CBS News,
22 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Don't be fooled by an ocean that looks calm.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Don't be fooled by the name, there's nothing murky about this southern-style soup.—
Lizzy Briskin,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Duped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duped. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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