verb
deceive
dih-SEEV/dɪˈsiːv/
To make someone believe something false.
The seller deceives the buyer by hiding the clock's damaged back.
Etymology
With de- meaning “from” or adding a negative force, “take” forms a verb meaning to ensnare or “take in.” Deceiving people similarly traps them in a false belief through misleading appearances or statements.
In context
They leave their campfires burning behind them to deceive the Americans.
More examples
- We were deceived by the forged signature.
- He is deceiving customers about the product's origin.
- Do not deceive yourself about the difficulty of the task.
Forms
deceive · deceives · deceived · deceiving
deception noun — The act of misleading someone.