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Definition of "beguile" []

  • To deceive by guile; delude. See Synonyms at deceive. (verb-transitive)
  • To take away from by or as if by guile; cheat: a disease that has beguiled me of strength. (verb-transitive)
  • To distract the attention of; divert: "to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming” ( Abraham Lincoln). (verb-transitive)
  • To pass (time) pleasantly. (verb-transitive)
  • To amuse or charm; delight. See Synonyms at charm. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "beguile" in a sentence
  • "Princess! they are simple, and such as beguile tentmen and tentwomen shut in by the desert, their fancies tender as children's."
  • "By strong delusion; such as beguile the soul with damnable doctrines, that swerve from faith and godliness, 'They have chosen their own ways,' saith God, 'and their soul delighteth in their abominations."
  • "One of the tasks I saw was a spelling contest where the participants misspelt everything: faux pas became 'fohpa,' cyst became 'sest,' beguile 'begyal' and so on."