Dictionary

deceit en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /dɪˈsiːt/

Etymology

From Middle English deceyte, from Old French deceite, deçoite, from decevoir (“to deceive”), from Latin dēcipere (“to cheat, mislead”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) An act or practice intended to deceive; a trick.
   • The whole conversation was merely a deceit.
2. (countable, uncountable) An act of deceiving someone.
   • Upon his return he killed Eriphyle for her vanity and deceit of him and his father. 1998, Mike Dixon-Kennedy, Encyclopedia of Greco-Roman Mythology, page 125:
3. (uncountable) The state of being deceitful or deceptive.
   • [T]he tvvo commended rules by him [Aristotle] ſet down, vvhereby the axioms of Sciences are precepted to be made convertible, and vvhich the latter men have not vvithout elegancy ſurnamed; the one the rule of truth, becauſe it preventeth deceipt; the other the rule of prudence, becauſe it freeth election, are the ſame thing in ſpeculation and affirmation, vvhich vve novv obſerve. 1603 (date written), [Francis] Bacon, “Valerius Terminus: Of the Interpretation of Nature; with the Annotations of Hermes Stella. Chapter XI. The Chapter Immediately Following the Inventary; Being the 11th in Order, a Part thereof.”, in Robert Stephens, compiler, edited by [John Lockyer], Letters and Remains of the Lord Chancellor Bacon, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, published 1734, →OCLC, page 411:
   • His mouth is full of curſing, and deceit, and fraud : vnder his tongue is miſchiefe and vanitie. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 10:7:
4. (countable, uncountable) The tort or fraudulent representation of a material fact made with knowledge of its falsity, or recklessly, or without reasonable grounds for believing its truth and with intent to induce reliance on it; the plaintiff justifiably relies on the deception, to his injury.
5. (collective, countable, rare, uncountable) A group of lapwings.
   • Deceits of lapwings were preparing to migrate 2025, Juhani Seppovaara, A Chess Master, page 16:
   • These birds belonged to a deceit of lapwings that had been displaced from their tract of grasslands and marshy grounds by a housing development. 2024 July 3, “Life of the lapwing”, in Saturday Express:

Forms

Deriveds

deceited · deceitful · deceiteous · self-deceit · deceitless

Relateds

deception

Synonyms

fraudulency · fetch · dissimulation · deceit · dupery · hype · trickery · trickery · perfidy · mislead · sleight of hand · trickery · Punic faith · legerdemain · hocus-pocus · swack · trick · fiddle · underhandedness · deceitfulness · deceptiveness · imposition · deceptiveness · dissimulation · underhandedness · duplicity · prestidigitation · trickery · deception · deceitfulness · subterfuge · fraudulence · deceit · rinky-dink · fraudulence · list · deception · fraud · jugglery · ruse

Translations (142)

cmn 欺騙 /欺骗 (act or behavior intended to deceive) · he רַמָּאוּת (act or behavior intended to deceive) · pt fraude (act or behavior intended to deceive) · it inganno (act or behavior intended to deceive) · bn ফাঁকি (act or behavior intended to deceive) · nl bedrog (act or behavior intended to deceive) · tg фиреб (act or behavior intended to deceive) · tr hile (act or behavior intended to deceive) · es embeleco (act or behavior intended to deceive) · km ការបោកប្រាស់ (act or behavior intended to deceive) · kmr hîle (act or behavior intended to deceive) · es trafa (act or fact of deceiving) · grc ἀπάτη (act or fact of deceiving) · et pettus (act or behavior intended to deceive) · hu megtévesztés (act or behavior intended to deceive) · az aldatma (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ja 詐欺 (act or behavior intended to deceive) · es bellaquería (act or behavior intended to deceive) · te దగా (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ja 欺瞞 (state of being deceptive) · tk aldaw (act or behavior intended to deceive) · es dolo (legal: fraudulent representation of a material fact) · eu iruzur (act or behavior intended to deceive) · de Falschheit (state of being deceptive) · az hiylə (act or behavior intended to deceive) · el απάτη (state of being deceptive) · uz firib (act or behavior intended to deceive) · de Betrügerei (act or behavior intended to deceive) · hu megtévesztő (state of being deceptive) · fi petosyritys (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sh о̏бмана (act or behavior intended to deceive) · fi petos (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ko 사기 (act or behavior intended to deceive) · de Täuschung (act or fact of deceiving) · enm ymagynynge (act or behavior intended to deceive) · de Betrug (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sh prijȇvara (act or behavior intended to deceive) · fr tromperie (act or fact of deceiving) · ar خَدْع (act or behavior intended to deceive) · it trucco (act or behavior intended to deceive) · grc δόλωμα (act or behavior intended to deceive) · es engaño (act or fact of deceiving) · kk алдау (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sh ȍbmana (act or behavior intended to deceive) · la dolus (act or behavior intended to deceive) · tr kandırma (act or behavior intended to deceive) · de Betrug (legal: fraudulent representation of a material fact) · ru обма́н (act or fact of deceiving) · it malafede (legal: fraudulent representation of a material fact) · hu megtévesztés (act or fact of deceiving) · ro înșelătorie (act or fact of deceiving) · ms penipuan (act or behavior intended to deceive) · fi huiputus (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sk podvod (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sv bedrägeri (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ko 속임수 (act or fact of deceiving) · cs podvod (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ko 속임 (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ga meang (act or behavior intended to deceive) · kea fantuxada (state of being deceptive) · ro înșelăciune (act or fact of deceiving) · hi छल (act or behavior intended to deceive) · la fraus (act or behavior intended to deceive) · uz aldash (act or behavior intended to deceive) · lv maldināšana (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ug ئالداش (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sh прије̑вара (act or behavior intended to deceive) · bg лъжа́ (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sh prȅvara (act or behavior intended to deceive) · es fraude (act or fact of deceiving) · or ତଞ୍ଚକତା (act or behavior intended to deceive) · bg изма́ма (act or behavior intended to deceive) · pl oszustwo (act or behavior intended to deceive) · pt velhacaria (act or behavior intended to deceive) · pl podstęp (act or behavior intended to deceive) · tt алдак (act or behavior intended to deceive) · it mendacità (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sv bedrägeri (act or fact of deceiving) · fi petoksen yritys (act or behavior intended to deceive) · fi vilpillisyys (state of being deceptive) · fi petos (legal: fraudulent representation of a material fact) · fr tromperie (act or behavior intended to deceive) · te మోసగించుట (act or fact of deceiving) · fi vilppi (act or behavior intended to deceive) · bn প্রবঞ্চনা (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ru обма́н (act or behavior intended to deceive) · hi छल (act or fact of deceiving) · got 𐌻𐌹𐌿𐍄𐌴𐌹 (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sv bedräglighet (state of being deceptive) · uk обма́н (act or behavior intended to deceive) · te మోసము (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sh пре̏вара (act or behavior intended to deceive) · kmr fêl (act or behavior intended to deceive) · th การหลอกลวง (act or behavior intended to deceive) · it falsità (act or behavior intended to deceive) · es engaño (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ar خِدَاع (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ko 속임수 (act or behavior intended to deceive) · mk измама (act or behavior intended to deceive) · tt алдау (act or behavior intended to deceive) · pt logro (act or fact of deceiving) · fr ruse (act or behavior intended to deceive) · es decebimiento (act or fact of deceiving) · gl engano (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ro fraudă (legal: fraudulent representation of a material fact) · es fraude (act or behavior intended to deceive) · fi huijaus (act or fact of deceiving) · fa گول (act or behavior intended to deceive) · nl bedriegerij (act or behavior intended to deceive) · el απάτη (act or behavior intended to deceive) · kmr lêhb (act or behavior intended to deceive) · fi huijaus (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sq mashtrim (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ru обма́нчивость (state of being deceptive) · ga meang (act or fact of deceiving) · fi harhautus (act or behavior intended to deceive) · el απάτη (act or fact of deceiving) · fo svik (act or behavior intended to deceive) · fa فریب (act or behavior intended to deceive) · tr aldatma (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ru лжи́вость (state of being deceptive) · ru обма́н (legal: fraudulent representation of a material fact) · es trafa (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sa कपट (act or behavior intended to deceive) · es dolo (act or fact of deceiving) · os фӕлывд (act or behavior intended to deceive) · lt apgavystė (act or behavior intended to deceive) · eo mistifiko (act or behavior intended to deceive) · hy խաբեբայություն (act or behavior intended to deceive) · grc ἀπάτη (act or behavior intended to deceive) · hi छलावा (act or fact of deceiving) · ky алдоо (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ur فریب (act or behavior intended to deceive) · kea fantuxada (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ko 기만 (state of being deceptive) · es fraude (legal: fraudulent representation of a material fact) · be падма́н (act or behavior intended to deceive) · ur دھوکا (act or behavior intended to deceive) · hi धोखा (act or behavior intended to deceive) · fr fraude (legal: fraudulent representation of a material fact) · ro decepție (act or behavior intended to deceive) · sl prevara (act or behavior intended to deceive)