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The meaning of DECEIVE is to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid. How to use deceive in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Deceive.
verb [ T ] uk / dɪˈsiːv / us / dɪˈsiːv / Add to word list. B2. 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. The sound of the door closing deceived me into thinking they had gone out. Synonym. trick.
Deceive means to lie, mislead, or otherwise hide or distort the truth. The act or practice of deceiving can be called deceit or deception. Lying is only one way of deceiving. Deceiving can consist of misrepresenting or omitting the truth or more complicated cover-ups. People can even deceive themselves by avoiding the truth.
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 deceive means to trick or lie. A crafty kid might deceive his mother into thinking he has a fever by holding the thermometer to a light bulb to increase the temperature. Deceive is the trickier cousin of lie. You might lie about why you were late to school.
Definition of deceive verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
1. To practice deceit. 2. To give a false impression: appearances can deceive. [Middle English deceiven, from Old French deceveir, from Vulgar Latin *dēcipēre, from Latin dēcipere, to ensnare, deceive : dē-, de- + capere, to seize; see kap- in Indo-European roots .] de·ceiv′a·ble adj. de·ceiv′er n. de·ceiv′ing·ly adv.
