INDEX:
1. to trick someone and make them believe something that is not true
2. to be tricked or deceived by someone
3. a trick
4. someone who is deceived
5. someone who tricks other people
6. when someone tricks or deceives someone
7. intended to deceive
RELATED WORDS
to use someone for your own advantage : ↑ USE
see also
↑ DISHONEST
↑ CHEAT
↑ FALSE
↑ LIE
↑ TRUST/NOT TRUST
↑ BETRAY
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1. to trick someone and make them believe something that is not true
▷ trick /trɪk/ [transitive verb]
to make someone believe something that is not true, in order to get something from them or make them do something :
▪ I realized then that I had been tricked, but it was too late.
▪ I’m not trying to trick you - just answer the question.
trick somebody into doing something
▪ The old man’s sons had tricked him into signing the papers.
trick somebody out of something
take something from someone by tricking them
▪ A man posing as an insurance agent tricked her out of thousands of dollars.
▷ con /kɒnǁkɑːn/ [transitive verb] informal
to trick someone :
▪ He was trying to con me, and I knew it.
con somebody into doing something
▪ They conned the school district into buying the property.
con somebody out of something
take something from someone by tricking them
▪ She conned me out of $50.
▷ deceive /dɪˈsiːv/ [intransitive/transitive verb] especially written
to make someone who trusts you believe something that is not true because it is useful for you if they believe it :
▪ This was a deliberate attempt to deceive the public.
▪ Many children’s lies are unplanned and not actually designed to deceive.
▪ All through the summer Paula was deceiving her husband while she was seeing another man.
deceive somebody into doing something
▪ Thousands of home buyers were deceived into buying homes at inflated prices.
deceive yourself
▪ If you think that everyone is happy with the plan, you’re deceiving yourself.
▷ fool /fuːl/ [transitive verb]
to make someone believe something that is not true by using a clever but simple trick :
▪ His hairpiece doesn’t fool anyone.
fool somebody into doing something
▪ They managed to fool the police into thinking they had left the country.
have somebody fooled
▪ The brothers’ act had us all fooled.
you can’t fool me
spoken
▪ You can’t fool me - I know he’s already given you the money.
fool yourself
▪ Maybe I was just fooling myself, but I really thought he liked me.
▷ mislead /mɪsˈliːd/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to make people believe something that is not true, by deliberately not giving them all the facts, or by saying something that is only partly true :
▪ The report is a deliberate and obvious attempt to mislead.
▪ They were accused of misleading customers about the nutritional value of their product.
mislead somebody into doing something
▪ Agents are accused of misleading clients into signing up for savings plans that were actually insurance policies.
▷ set somebody up /ˌset somebody ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to trick someone into doing something that they will be punished for or embarrassed by :
▪ He said, following his arrest last fall, that the FBI had set him up.
▪ Terry and Donald think I set them up, but it’s all a big misunderstanding.
▷ put one over on /ˌpʊt wʌn ˈəʊvər ɒn/ [verb phrase not in passive] informal
to deceive someone, especially someone who is cleverer than you are, or someone who is not easily deceived :
▪ That’s the last time he puts one over on me!
▪ Lawyers claim that the tobacco industry, by failing to tell everything it knew about smoking, was putting one over on its customers.
▷ pull the wool over somebody’s eyes /ˌpʊl ðə ˌwʊl əʊvəʳ somebodyˈs ˈaɪz/ [verb phrase] informal
to deceive someone, usually by hiding some facts or information :
▪ Don’t try and pull the wool over my eyes - I can tell you’ve been smoking.
▪ The politicians are just trying to pull the wool over voters’ eyes again.
▷ lead somebody on /ˌliːd somebody ˈɒn/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to make someone believe you and trust you, especially by making them think you are romantically interested in them :
▪ I can’t tell if he really cares about me or if he’s just leading me on?
▪ I didn’t mean to lead Cassie on, but I didn’t want to hurt her feelings either.
▷ take somebody for a ride /ˌteɪk somebody fər ə ˈraɪd/ [verb phrase] informal
to deceive someone, especially so that you can get their money :
▪ I’d already given him £50 when I realized he was taking me for a ride.
▪ After the deal was signed, I felt like I’d been taken for a ride.
▷ double-cross /ˌdʌb ə l ˈkrɒsǁ-ˈkrɔːs/ [transitive verb]
to cheat someone you pretended to be helping or working with, especially by helping their enemies :
▪ I’m warning you - if you double-cross me, I’ll kill you.
▪ Harry and Danny double-crossed the gang and escaped with all the money.
▷ dupe /djuːpǁduːp/ [transitive verb] informal
to trick or deceive someone, especially so that they become involved in someone else’s dishonest activity without realizing it :
▪ The spies duped government and military officials alike.
dupe somebody into doing something
▪ The perpetrators of the hoax managed to dupe respectable journalists into printing their story.
2. to be tricked or deceived by someone
▷ be tricked/deceived /biː ˈtrɪkt, dɪˈsiːvd/ [verb phrase]
▪ He knew he’d been tricked, but it was too late to do anything.
be tricked/deceived by
▪ Don’t feel bad - you weren’t the only one who was deceived by his lies.
▷ be taken in /biː ˌteɪkən ˈɪn/ [verb phrase]
to be deceived by someone’s words or behaviour, so that you believe something about them that is not true :
▪ He seemed so confident, that I was completely taken in.
be taken in by
▪ We were all taken in by the scheme and invested far more money than we should have.
▷ fall for /ˈfɔːl fɔːʳ/ [transitive verb not in passive]
to stupidly believe something that is untrue and is intended to deceive you :
▪ Doug is too clever to fall for a story like that!
▪ She completely fell for his nonsense about being rich and famous.
▷ be fooled /biː ˈfuːld/ [verb phrase]
to be deceived by someone’s behaviour, words, or appearance, especially when the result is not serious :
▪ Don’t let yourself be fooled - she’s not as nice as she seems.
be fooled by
▪ A lot of people were fooled by what he said, but I was sure he was lying.
▷ be set up /biː ˌset ˈʌp/ [verb phrase]
to be tricked into doing something that results in you being punished or embarrassed :
▪ I’m innocent! I was set up!
be set up by
▪ The young man’s claim that he had been set up by the police was eventually supported by several witnesses.
▷ be duped /biː ˈdjuːptǁ-ˈduːpt/ [verb phrase]
to be deceived by someone, especially so that you become involved in their dishonest activity without realizing it :
▪ When the police arrived to arrest her, she realized she had been duped.
be duped by
▪ Richie couldn’t believe he had been set up and duped by his friends.
3. a trick
▷ trick /trɪk/ [countable noun]
a clever plan designed to make someone believe something that you want them to believe, or do something that you want them to do :
▪ He pretended to be sick as a trick to get her to visit him.
▪ Don’t send her any money - it might be a trick.
a trick question
a question that is cleverly designed to make someone give a wrong answer
▪ He refused to answer, suspecting they were asking him a trick question.
▷ trap /træp/ [countable noun]
a clever plan designed to harm someone, for example by making them go somewhere where they will be caught or attacked, or making them say something they will be punished for :
▪ I didn’t take the money with me, because I was worried it might be a trap.
▪ Sensing the lawyer’s trap, Horvath refused to answer.
▷ deception /dɪˈsepʃ ə n/ [countable noun] especially written
something that is said or done with the deliberate intention of deceiving people :
▪ Ann quickly saw through his lies and deceptions.
▪ What began as a misunderstanding quickly became a deliberate deception on the part of the network.
▷ ruse /ruːzǁruːs, ruːz/ [countable noun]
a trick, especially one that is amusing and not very serious :
▪ It was just a ruse to get what I wanted!
▪ She asked to use the telephone as a ruse to enter the house.
▷ hoax /həʊks/ [countable noun]
a false warning about something dangerous, given especially to someone in an official position, for example the police :
▪ To everybody’s great relief, the bomb scare turned out to be a hoax.
▪ I got an email about another computer virus, but I’m pretty sure it’s just a hoax.
▷ congame/con /ˈkɒngeɪmǁˈkɑːn-, kɒnǁkɑːn/ [countable noun] informal
a trick to get someone’s money or make someone do something :
▪ The two men were involved in an elaborate con to cheat investors out of their money.
▪ Senior citizens are usually easy targets for con games.
▷ put-up job /ˈpʊt ʌp ˌdʒɒbǁ-ˌdʒɑːb/ [countable noun]
when something that happens is not what it seems to be, and is really an attempt to deceive people :
▪ Journalists suspected that the kidnapping was a put-up job.
▪ The demonstration was a put-up job, organized by the authorities so they could arrest the cult leaders.
▷ scam /skæm/ [countable noun] informal
a clever and dishonest plan to get money :
▪ The welfare scam was costing the federal government hundreds of thousands of dollars.
▪ The offer of a ‘free’ vacation to Florida sounds like a scam to me.
▷ diversion /daɪˈvɜːʳʃ ə n, də̇-ǁ-ʒ ə n/ [countable noun]
a trick that is intended to take someone’s attention away from what someone else is trying to do :
▪ Some of the prisoners started a fight as a diversion to give the others time to escape.
create a diversion
▪ Rioters created a diversion by setting fire to vehicles close to the police station.
▷ decoy /ˈdiːkɔɪ/ [countable noun]
a person or thing that is used to trick someone by taking their attention away from an illegal or criminal act :
▪ You act as a decoy and we’ll sneak out the back.
▪ The burglars started the fire as a decoy so that they could escape from police.
4. someone who is deceived
▷ dupe /djuːpǁduːp/ [countable noun]
someone who is tricked by someone else, especially so that they become involved in the other person’s dishonest plans without realizing it :
▪ Investigators believe Dailey was a dupe for international drug smugglers.
unwitting dupe
▪ Some portray the family as unwitting dupes of conspiracy theorists.
▷ sucker /ˈsʌkəʳ/ [countable noun] informal
someone who believes everything they are told, even when it is clearly not true :
▪ I know I’m a sucker. I’ll give $10 to anyone who tells me they’re hungry or wants a cup of coffee.
▪ Some poor suckers had paid more than three times what they should have for the tickets.
▷ mug /mʌg/ [countable noun] British informal
someone who is easily deceived, especially so that they do much more or give much more than is fair or reasonable :
▪ He’s asked me to work over the weekend again - he must think I’m some kind of mug.
▪ Don’t be a mug! That picture’s not worth as much as that!
5. someone who tricks other people
▷ con man/con artist/scam artist /ˈkɒn mæn, ˈkɒn ˌɑːʳtə̇stǁˈkɑːn-, ˈskæm ˌɑːʳtə̇st/ [countable noun]
someone who tries to get money from people by tricking them :
▪ A pair of con men have been tricking older people in the community out of their life savings.
▪ Don’t be fooled by con artists who promise enormous returns on your investment with no risk.
▪ Petty scam artists victimize tourists on the streets.
▷ crook /krʊk/ [countable noun] informal
a dishonest person who steals things or tricks people :
▪ I wouldn’t do business with him - he’s a crook.
▪ People have accused me of being a crook, but I didn’t take any money that wasn’t mine.
▷ charlatan /ˈʃɑːʳlət ə n/ [countable noun]
someone who pretends to have special skills and abilities and tricks people into believing them :
▪ Some psychic charlatan convinced her she was going to die in six months.
▪ Charlatans advertise a variety of fat-reducing treatments in the back of magazines.
▷ quack /kwæk/ [countable noun] informal
a dishonest person who pretends to be a doctor who can cure diseases :
▪ Larry paid some quack over a thousand dollars to cure his insomnia.
▪ That quack doesn’t know anything about treating heart disease.
▷ shyster /ˈʃaɪstəʳ/ [countable noun] American informal
a dishonest person, especially a lawyer :
▪ Their lawyer is a shyster who would do anything to win a case.
▪ Once the shysters get involved, you can be sure we’ll end up in court.
▷ snake-oil salesman/peddler /ˈsneɪk ɔɪl ˌseɪlzmən, ˈpedləʳ/ [countable noun] American
someone who deceives people by persuading them to accept false information, solutions etc that are not effective :
▪ Critics have called the Senator a smooth-talking snake-oil peddler.
▪ Latenight TV is full of snake-oil salesmen offering get-rich-quick schemes.
6. when someone tricks or deceives someone
▷ deception /dɪˈsepʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
the act of deceiving someone, especially by telling them lies :
▪ I’m sure many businessmen use some form of deception, at times, to achieve their objectives.
▪ She was stunned by the lies and deception her husband had used to hide his affairs.
▷ deceit /dɪˈsiːt/ [uncountable noun]
the act of deceiving someone - use this to show strong disapproval :
▪ His political opponents have accused him of corruption and deceit.
▪ He now found himself in a world where deceit was accepted, even expected.
▷ set up /ˈset ʌp/ [countable noun]
a situation in which someone is tricked into doing something that results in them being punished :
▪ Is this some kind of a set up? Why should I believe you?
▪ The whole thing was a set up to get Burley to confess.
▷ trickery /ˈtrɪkəri/ [uncountable noun] especially written
the use of clever plans or actions to deceive someone :
▪ It was a piece of political trickery that enraged the opposition.
▪ He’s managed to get as far as he has through slick talking and trickery.
7. intended to deceive
▷ deceitful /dɪˈsiːtf ə l/ [adjective]
words or actions that are deceitful are intended to deceive someone :
▪ He got the contract, but only by being deceitful.
▪ I don’t trust her. I think she has a deceitful smile.
▪ The company has engaged in deceitful practices for years.
▷ misleading /mɪsˈliːdɪŋ/ [adjective]
misleading information or statements make people believe something that is not true, especially by not giving them all the facts :
▪ The advertisements were deliberately misleading and false.
▪ In court Robbins made misleading statements about his involvement.
it is misleading to say/treat/speak of etc
▪ It would be misleading to say that the recession will soon be over.
misleadingly [adverb]
▪ Private schools in Britain are often misleadingly called public schools.
▷ under false pretences British /under false pretenses American /ʌndəʳ ˌfɔːls prɪˈtensə̇zǁ -ˈpriːtensə̇z/ [adverb]
if you do something under false pretences, you do it by pretending that the situation is different from what it really is :
▪ He got a loan from the bank under false pretences.
▪ Immigration officers attempt to catch people entering the country under false pretenses.