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Definition of "deceive" []

  • To cause to believe what is not true; mislead. (verb-transitive)
  • Archaic To catch by guile; ensnare. (verb-transitive)
  • To practice deceit. (verb-intransitive)
  • To give a false impression: appearances can deceive. (verb-intransitive)

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 "deceive" in a sentence
  • "I myself am very fond of the plain cheese pizza, but don't let the name deceive you."
  • "Appearances, however, which have been deceptive before, may again deceive; and the history of nations teams with proofs that when once they have overstepped the bounds of reason, albeit with the purpose of returning when their ends shall have been accomplished, the very events which their own passion has produced frequently raise a barrier against their retreat, and nulla vestigia retrorsum becomes their doom."
  • "Sinners herein deceive themselves, for, though the sentence be not executed speedily, it will be executed the more severely at last."