[de.ceive] vb de.ceived ; de.ceiv.ing [ME, fr. MF deceivre, fr. L decipere, fr. de- + capere to take--more at heave] vt (13c) 1 archaic: ensnare
2. a obs: to be false to b archaic: to fail to fulfill 3 obs: cheat
4: to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid
5. archaic: to while away ~ vi: to practice deceit; also: to give a false impression "appearances can ~" -- de.ceiv.er n -- de.ceiv.ing.ly adv syn deceive, mislead, delude, beguile mean to lead astray or frustrate usu. by underhandedness. deceive implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness "tried to deceive me about the cost". mislead implies a leading astray that may or may not be intentional "I was misled by the confusing sign". delude implies deceiving so thoroughly as to obscure the truth "we were deluded into thinking we were safe". beguile stresses the use of charm and persuasion in deceiving "was beguiled by false promises".