deceive

deceive — verb

1. to get someone to accept a false idea as if it were real, often by hiding the fa

1.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to get someone to accept a false idea as if it were real, often by hiding the facts or saying things that are untrue, usually in order to gain something for yourself.

Example

A dishonest salesman deceived elderly customers into signing expensive contracts.

deceive + somebody + into + -ing

Quan felt deceived when he learned his business partner had hidden the company's losses.

passive: feel deceived

Common collocations
  • deceive the public
  • deceive customers
  • feel deceived
  • deceive somebody into doing something
Synonyms
  • trick

    more general and slightly less serious; often used for playful or clever deceptions

  • fool

    similar to 'trick', but can carry a sense of making someone look foolish

  • mislead

    softer than 'deceive'; can be done accidentally without dishonest intent

Antonyms
  • enlighten

    to give someone the true facts and clear up their mistaken belief

  • undeceive

    formal and rare; to free someone from a false belief

Grammar Patterns

deceive + somebody

deceive + somebody + into + -ing

Usage Note

Frequently used in the pattern 'deceive somebody into doing something'. The passive form 'be / feel deceived' is common when focusing on the person who was tricked rather than the deceiver. Distinguish from sense 2, where the object is oneself.

Common Mistakes

He deceived the company for giving him money.
He deceived the company into giving him money.
the pattern is 'deceive + person + into + -ing', not 'for + -ing'.
She deceived to him about her age.
She deceived him about her age.
'deceive' is transitive; it takes a direct object with no preposition.

2. to refuse to see or accept an uncomfortable truth, especially about your own act

2.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

to refuse to see or accept an uncomfortable truth, especially about your own actions, abilities, or feelings, and to keep telling yourself an easier version instead.

Example

Arjun was deceiving himself if he thought the marriage could survive without honest communication.

deceive + oneself + if + thought

Eri kept deceiving herself that her credit card debt would somehow disappear on its own.

deceive + oneself + that-clause

Common collocations
  • deceive yourself
  • deceive yourself into thinking
  • stop deceiving yourself
  • deceive yourself about
Synonyms
  • kid oneself

    informal equivalent; 'Don't kid yourself — you know he's not coming back.'

  • delude oneself

    more formal; suggests a stronger, more serious refusal to face reality

Antonyms
  • face the truth

    to accept an unpleasant reality rather than avoid it

  • acknowledge

    to admit that something is true, especially something difficult

Grammar Patterns

deceive + reflexive pronoun

deceive + yourself + into + -ing/that-clause

Usage Note

Always reflexive — the subject and object refer to the same person (deceive yourself / himself / ourselves, etc.). Common in the patterns 'deceive yourself that...', 'deceive yourself into thinking...', and 'deceive yourself about...'. This sense is never used transitively with a separate person as object.

Common Mistakes

He deceived that everything was fine.
He deceived himself that everything was fine.
this sense requires a reflexive pronoun as the object.
She deceived herself that her job was safe' (when meaning someone told her it was safe).
She deceived herself that her job was safe.
but note: this means she refused to see the truth, not that someone lied to her. For external deception use sense 1.
Idioms

flatter to deceive

idiom

To seem better or more promising than the true situation actually is.

The team's strong start flattered to deceive, as they lost the next five games.

Did the company's early profits flatter to deceive before the market crashed?

Word family

  • deception
    nounC1
  • deceit
    nounC1
  • deceitful
    adjectiveC1
  • deceptive
    adjectiveC1
  • deceiver
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four involve making someone believe something untrue, but they differ in method and intent. 'Lie' is the narrowest — it means to deliberately say something false, and it only covers spoken or written words ('He lied about his qualifications.'). 'Deceive' is broader: you can deceive by saying nothing, by hiding facts, or by arranging a false situation — the focus is on the result, not the method. 'Mislead' is softer and can be accidental; if you give someone incomplete information without meaning to, you have misled them, not deceived them. 'Trick' suggests a clever or playful method and sometimes carries less moral weight — children trick each other on April Fools' Day, but the same act between adults may be called deception. For example, a company that buries safety warnings in tiny print has deceived you; a friend who says 'It's fine!' when it isn't has lied; a sign that says '50% off' on the original price (not the sale price) has misled you.

deceive ↗lie ↗misleadtrick ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • deceive the public
  • deceive customers
  • deceive voters
  • deceive investors

Adverbs

  • deliberately deceive
  • easily deceived
  • deeply deceived
  • knowingly deceive

Phrases

  • feel deceived
  • deliberately deceive
  • try to deceive
  • deceive oneself

Prepositions

  • deceive about
  • deceive into
  • deceive by

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

'Deceive' entered English in the 13th century from Old French 'deceivre', which came from Latin 'decipere', meaning 'to catch, ensnare, or take in'. The Latin verb was built from 'de-' (away from) and 'capere' (to take or seize) — literally, to take someone away from the truth, like catching them in a trap. This original image of trapping or snaring is still felt in modern uses of the word, especially when we talk about being 'caught' in a deception. The noun 'deception' arrived a little later, around the 15th century, from the same Latin root.