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deceive

Pronunciation: /dɪˈsiːv/
Translate deceive | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of deceive

verb

[with object]
  • deliberately cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, especially for personal gain:I didn’t intend to deceive people into thinking it was French champagne
  • (of a thing) give (someone) a mistaken impression:the area may seem to offer nothing of interest, but don’t be deceived
  • (deceive oneself) fail to admit to oneself that something is true: it was no use deceiving herself any longer—she loved him with all her heart
  • be sexually unfaithful to (one’s regular partner):he had deceived her with another woman

Derivatives

deceivable

adjective

deceiver

noun

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French deceivre, from Latin decipere 'catch, ensnare, cheat'

Spelling rule

i before e except after c (as in receive).

deceive in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of deceive in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

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