verb

deceive

dih-SEEV

verb

To trick or mislead someone into believing something false.

"He deceived investors by hiding the company's true losses."

"Don't let his charming smile deceive you — he's not to be trusted."

How to Use Deceive

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo make someone believe something untrue, usually on purpose.

Common mistake

Remember the spelling rule "i before e except after c" — deceive has the c, so it's "ei," not "ie."

Common pairings

deceive someone deceive the public be deceived by appearances

deceived past tense, deceives singular

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Can you complete this real example?

He _____ investors by hiding the company's true losses.

From Latin decipere, "to catch, ensnare, cheat" — from de- + capere, "to seize" (the same root gives us "capture" and "captive").

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