deceive

6 definitions • 13 examples

to persuade someone that something false is the truth, or to keep the truth hidden from someone for your own advantage:

The company deceived customers by selling old computers as new ones.

deceive someone into doing something The sound of the door closing deceived me into thinking they had gone out.

to refuse to accept the truth:

She thinks he'll come back, but she's deceiving herself.

Her main character flaw is her readiness to deceive herself.

He insists that she loves him, but really, he's deceiving himself.

Unless I'm deceiving myself, I think we have a very good friendship.

I don't think they can face the truth so they deceive themselves.

People deceive themselves with their own version of events.

to persuade someone that something false is the truth; trick or fool:

Some parents try to deceive school officials and enroll their children in other districts.

If you deceive yourself, you pretend something is true:

We should not deceive ourselves into thinking this will be the end of it.

to use dishonest or illegal methods to get something or to make people believe that something is true when it is not:

These were fraudulent transactions aimed at deceiving creditors and investors.

intention/intent to deceive A spokesman for the bank maintained that there had been no intent to deceive.

to seem better than it actually is:

The FTSE-100 flattered to deceive, as it broke through the 5000 barrier only to fall back again.