MEANING
To cause someone to accept as true what is false, often by concealing important facts.
Use it for
Show someone being led to believe what is untrue.Build a quiet betrayal through omissions, false appearances, or calculated claims.
Words that belong together
- deceive someone about
- deceive oneself
- deliberately deceive
On the page
The steward deceived the guests about the locked east wing.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- deceive
- Past tense
- deceived
- Past participle
- deceived
- Present participle
- deceiving
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- deceive
- Present continuous
- am/is/are deceiving
- Present perfect
- have/has deceived
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been deceiving
- Past
- deceived
- Past continuous
- was/were deceiving
- Past perfect
- had deceived
- Past perfect continuous
- had been deceiving
- Future
- will deceive
- Future continuous
- will be deceiving
- Future perfect
- will have deceived
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been deceiving
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Deceive concerns making a false belief seem true; it need not involve an outright spoken lie.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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