feint 1 of 2

feint

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word feint different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of feint are artifice, maneuver, ruse, stratagem, trick, and wile. While all these words mean "an indirect means to gain an end," feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.

a feint toward the enemy's left flank

In what contexts can artifice take the place of feint?

The meanings of artifice and feint largely overlap; however, artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.

the clever artifices of the stage

When might maneuver be a better fit than feint?

While the synonyms maneuver and feint are close in meaning, maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.

last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

When could ruse be used to replace feint?

The words ruse and feint are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.

the ruses of smugglers

When is it sensible to use stratagem instead of feint?

In some situations, the words stratagem and feint are roughly equivalent. However, stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.

the stratagem-filled game

When can trick be used instead of feint?

The words trick and feint can be used in similar contexts, but trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.

the tricks of the trade

Where would wile be a reasonable alternative to feint?

The synonyms wile and feint are sometimes interchangeable, but wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.

used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of feint
Noun
Jose Ramirez Breakdown Ramirez uses level changes and feints to set up his positioning and range and to pick up on the tendencies of his opponents. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025 To his supporters, the bluff and feints were all tactics of a master negotiator taking on the world’s trade cheats. Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2025
Verb
When the second Trump Administration, during its first week, feinted toward freezing federal funding programs, universities were among the institutions whose blood ran cold. Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2025 The fire was now moving like a prowling carnivore, feinting down one street a few blocks away and then changing its mind and slithering down a different avenue. Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for feint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feint
Noun
  • Worried about Michilimackinac’s vulnerability to attacks by American rebels, the British relocated the fort to the high bluffs of Mackinac Island in 1780 and shortened its name.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 June 2025
  • Look to Flanagan, who probably won’t need to call any bluffs for the time being.
    Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 5 June 2025
Verb
  • But dark secrets and hormones become issues, thanks to their latest enemy: demons disguised as a hunky boy band.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 21 June 2025
  • Plus, the blend of neutral shades disguises dirt and debris and works with a variety of decor styles.
    Shea Simmons, People.com, 19 June 2025
Noun
  • My inference is that these maneuvers were to give Beaverdam a tack on the holding period of the property so that the contribution could be made in 2017.
    Peter J Reilly, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
  • An Israeli Air Force F-15 jet fighter maneuvers over northern Israel on the border with Lebanon, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024.
    Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 June 2025
Verb
  • Many of the individuals, including some concealing their faces with masks and hoods, appeared to be filming the cruiser with cell phones.
    Staff report, Hartford Courant, 16 June 2025
  • Kate goes to extreme measures to conceal her daughter’s crime, preparing her with an ironclad alibi and dumping the dead body into a nearby lake.
    Francesca Gariano, People.com, 14 June 2025
Verb
  • That means that the bioluminescence that other creatures use to camouflage themselves can be distinguished.
    Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2025
  • Luckily, Tower 28 tackled that drawback by adding a blendable universal tint to the formula, camouflaging the active ingredient’s stark white finish.
    Maggie Horton, People.com, 23 May 2025
Verb
  • Antisemitic rhetoric, and even violence, sometimes masked as anti-Israel bile, must be combatted, not coddled.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 20 June 2025
  • That’s also the goal when ICE agents protect their identity by masking up and wearing no identification.
    David Weigel, semafor.com, 20 June 2025
Verb
  • The advisee who feigns receptivity lays a terrible trap; woe to the adviser who does not think to step around it.
    Merve Emre, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
  • The actress first feigned collapsing after Joy Behar made a joke about Sean Combs.
    Joey Nolfi Published, EW.com, 3 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Feint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feint. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

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