cheat

cheat — verb

1. to do something dishonest, such as breaking the rules of a game, copying answers

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to do something dishonest, such as breaking the rules of a game, copying answers in an exam, or taking money by tricking people

Example

Yusuf tried to cheat on the biology test by copying answers from a hidden note.

cheat on [exam/test]

If you cheat at poker, other players will refuse to sit at your table again.

cheat at [game]

Common collocations
  • cheat on a test
  • cheat at cards
  • cheat someone out of money
Synonyms
  • swindle

    implies large-scale financial fraud, more formal

  • trick

    can be playful or harmless; weaker moral weight

  • con

    informal, implies gaining trust first before cheating

Antonyms
  • be honest

    direct opposite of using dishonest methods

Grammar Patterns

cheat + on + noun

cheat + at + noun

cheat + out of + noun

Usage Note

Frequently used with prepositions 'on' (test/exam) or 'at' (game/sport). The transitive pattern 'cheat [person] out of [thing]' is common in contexts of financial fraud.

Common Mistakes

He deceived on the exam.
He cheated on the exam.
'deceive' is about making someone believe a lie; 'cheat on a test' is the fixed collocation for breaking exam rules.
She lied him out of his money.
She cheated him out of his money.
'cheat someone out of something' is the correct verb pattern for depriving someone by fraud.

2. to be romantically or physically involved with a person other than your spouse o

2.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to be romantically or physically involved with a person other than your spouse or steady partner, which breaks a promise to be faithful

Example

Leila discovered that her husband had been cheating on her with a colleague.

cheat on [partner] + with [person]

Yara found hotel receipts that proved her husband had cheated on her.

cheat on [partner] — discovered through evidence

Common collocations
  • cheat on a partner
  • cheat on a spouse
  • cheat in a relationship
Synonyms
  • be unfaithful

    more formal, less direct than 'cheat'

  • have an affair

    specifies a longer-term romantic involvement rather than a brief encounter

Antonyms
  • be faithful

    direct opposite; keeping promises to a partner

  • be loyal

    broader term for commitment in a relationship

Grammar Patterns

cheat + on + noun (partner)

Usage Note

Almost always used with 'on' followed by the betrayed partner. The preposition 'with' introduces the third person. This sense is intransitive only — you cannot 'cheat someone' to mean being unfaithful.

Common Mistakes

He cheated his wife for years.
He cheated on his wife for years.
'cheat on' is required; without 'on' the meaning switches to financial fraud.
Phrasal verbs

cheat of

phrasal verb

To take something from someone by deceiving them.

The dishonest salesman cheated the old man of his savings.

Did the company cheat its employees of their rightful bonuses?

cheat out of

phrasal verb

To prevent someone from having something by using dishonest methods.

The scammer cheated the family out of their inheritance.

Sara felt cheated out of a fair chance to win the contest.

Idioms

cheat death

idiom

To avoid dying in a very dangerous situation.

The hiker cheated death when he was rescued from the cliff.

After the car accident, Mia felt she had cheated death.

cheat — noun

Word family

  • cheater
    nounB2
  • cheating
    nounB2
  • cheating
    adjectiveB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Cheat is the most general word for breaking rules or using dishonest methods to gain an advantage — it applies to exams, games, business, and relationships. Deceive is broader and focuses on making someone believe something false, often through lies or misleading behaviour, not necessarily for personal gain. Trick implies clever deception that may be playful rather than harmful, like a magic trick. Swindle is more specific and formal, referring to large-scale financial fraud where victims lose money. Con is informal and describes gaining someone's trust in order to cheat them, often in a face-to-face situation. For example: 'He cheated on the driving test by bribing the instructor'; 'The email deceived customers into giving their bank details'; 'The sales assistant tricked me into buying an expensive warranty I did not need'; 'They swindled elderly homeowners out of their life savings'; 'A man conned her by pretending to be a bank manager.'

cheat ↗deceive ↗trick ↗swindlecon ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • cheat on someone
  • cheat at something
  • cheat someone out of something
  • a known cheat
  • a complete cheat

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'cheat' comes from the legal term 'escheat', which referred to land or property that reverted to the lord or crown when an owner died without heirs. In the 16th century it shifted from 'confiscated property' to the act of 'seizing by fraud', and eventually to any kind of dishonest behaviour. The gaming sense of 'cheat code' emerged in the late 20th century with home video game consoles.