deceive

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb deceive differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of deceive are beguile, delude, and mislead. While all these words mean "to lead astray or frustrate usually by underhandedness," deceive implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness.

tried to deceive me about the cost

In what contexts can beguile take the place of deceive?

Although the words beguile and deceive have much in common, beguile stresses the use of charm and persuasion in deceiving.

was beguiled by false promises

When is delude a more appropriate choice than deceive?

While the synonyms delude and deceive are close in meaning, delude implies deceiving so thoroughly as to obscure the truth.

we were deluded into thinking we were safe

When is it sensible to use mislead instead of deceive?

The words mislead and deceive can be used in similar contexts, but mislead implies a leading astray that may or may not be intentional.

I was misled by the confusing sign

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 deceive Everyone is completely invested in finding the best ways to deceive him, and by the end, everyone’s laughing to the point of tears. Matthew Jackson, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025 The Poquianchis recruited young girls from nearby towns and farms, deceiving families with false promises of work or abducting girls when alone. Isabella Wandermurem, Time, 10 Sep. 2025 Federal prosecutors accused him of deceiving investors and lenders. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 10 Sep. 2025 After all, appearances can be deceiving. Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for deceive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deceive
Verb
  • Your press release isn’t fooling anyone.
    Roberta Matuson, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Replacing Nina with a woman who has the same initials as her is not going to fool us!
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Still, Genians suspects the Kimsuky group was able to develop a workaround, also known as jailbreak, to trick ChatGPT into creating the IDs.
    Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
  • But in reality, deepfakes are getting better and the threat industry has many years of experience in honing lures to trick people, playing on emotions and overcoming natural suspicions and objections.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The complaint said Granados had intentionally falsified medical and billing records to mislead Texas pharmacies and insurance providers into providing the medications in violation of the state’s law.
    Brooke Migdon, The Hill, 11 Sep. 2025
  • There's also a common but misguided belief that non-quants are incapable of truly understanding quantitative reports of predictive performance and would only be misled by reports meant to speak in their straightforward business language.
    Eric Siegel, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Deceive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deceive. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on deceive

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