deception
noun
de·cep·tion
di-ˈsep-shən 
1
a
: the act of causing someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid : the act of deceiving
resorting to falsehood and deception
used deception to leak the classified information
b
: the fact or condition of being deceived
the deception of his audience
2
: something that deceives : trick
fooled by a scam artist's clever deception
Examples of deception in a Sentence
She accuses the company of willful deception in its advertising.
His many deceptions did not become known until years after he died.
Recent Examples on the Web
While this kind of deception is already possible manually, AI agents can scale it rapidly, increasing both the risk and potential volume of fraud.
—
Aleksandra Bal, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Even commercial amusements that played with illusion, such as trompe l’oeil paintings and chess-playing automatons, helped train Americans of all classes to identify the signs of deception.
—Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
Recently recovered emails, messages, photos, and videos reveal the depths of the deception.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 June 2025
Spider’s Web depended on three distinct but related capabilities: logistics to deliver the drones, deception to keep them hidden, and coordination to pilot dozens of them concurrently.
—Harry Law, Time, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deception
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Aleksandra Bal, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Even commercial amusements that played with illusion, such as trompe l’oeil paintings and chess-playing automatons, helped train Americans of all classes to identify the signs of deception.
—Literary Hub, 9 June 2025
Recently recovered emails, messages, photos, and videos reveal the depths of the deception.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 9 June 2025
Spider’s Web depended on three distinct but related capabilities: logistics to deliver the drones, deception to keep them hidden, and coordination to pilot dozens of them concurrently.
—Harry Law, Time, 5 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for deception
Cite this Entry
“Deception.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deception. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deception
noun
de·cep·tion
di-ˈsep-shən
1
a
: the act of deceiving
b
: the fact or condition of being deceived
2
: something that deceives : trick
Legal Definition
deception
noun
de·cep·tion
di-ˈsep-shən
1
: an act of deceiving
2
: something that deceives : deceit
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