Deception is the act of deceiving someone or the state of being deceived by someone.
He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.
You've been the victim of a rather cruel deception.
Synonyms: trick, lie, fraud, cheat More Synonyms of deception
More Synonyms of deception
deception in British English
(dɪˈsɛpʃən)
noun
1.
the act of deceiving or the state of being deceived
2.
something that deceives; trick
deception in American English
(diˈsɛpʃən; dɪˈsɛpʃən)
noun
1.
the act or practice of deceiving
2.
the fact or condition of being deceived
3.
something that deceives, as an illusion, or is meant to deceive, as a fraud
SYNONYMY NOTE: deception is applied to anything that deceives, whether by design or illusion; , fraud suggests deliberate deception in dishonestly depriving a person of property, rights,etc.; , subterfuge suggests an artifice or stratagem used to deceive others and to evade something orgain some end; , trickery implies the use of tricks or ruses in deceiving others; , chicanery implies the use of petty trickery and subterfuge, esp. in legal actions
Word origin
ME decepcioun < OFr deception < L deceptio < pp. of decipere: see deceive
Examples of 'deception' in a sentence
deception
Yet more lies and deception by the crooks in suits.
The Sun (2014)
They are getting wise to those whose artistry is increasingly directed at deception rather than skill.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
She had a previous conviction for obtaining property by deception.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
She was jailed for six months yesterday after admitting theft and deception.
The Sun (2011)
The husband had not used lies and deception.
Christianity Today (2000)
King was found guilty of attempting to obtain money by deception and sent down for two years.
The Sun (2009)
Nurse admitted deception and making false representations.
The Sun (2008)
He denies four charges of obtaining money by deception and false representation.
The Sun (2011)
He admitted obtaining property by deception and was jailed for two years and nine months.
The Sun (2008)
He may have owed his life to the deception operation in which his future wife played a part.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The father of three admitted deception.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
The couple deny theft, deception and fraud.
The Sun (2011)
He had been jailed twice with previous convictions for battery, deception and fraud.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But the holiday soon turns into a nightmare of lies, deception and murder.
The Sun (2010)
As a result, fraud and deception are given free rein.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He was finally jailed in 2008 for six years after admitting deception while she was convicted of fraud and money laundering.
The Sun (2010)
It is a cruel deception.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
But I absolutely refuse to see anybody get away with such lies and deception.
The Sun (2009)
This has inevitably spawned the culture of diving, but it seems that we prefer to have our cheating done by deception rather than violence.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
That, after all, was what the deception plan had been all about.
Admiral Sandy Woodward, With Patrick Robinson ONE HUNDRED DAYS (2003)
He was convicted of obtaining a money transfer by deception, fraud and forgery in January.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The warm sunshine on Wednesday might have felt like spring had returned again, but it was a cruel deception.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Quotations
Deceive boys with toys, but men with oathsLysander
O what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!Walter ScottMarmion
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but youcannot fool all of the people all of the timeascribed to Abraham Lincoln
One may smile, and smile, and be a villainWilliam ShakespeareHamlet
We are never so easily deceived as when we imagine we are deceiving othersDuc de la RochefoucauldMaxims
In other languages
deception
British English: deception NOUN
Deception is when someone deliberately makes you believe something that is not true.
He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.
American English: deception
Brazilian Portuguese: engano
Chinese: 欺骗
European Spanish: engaño
French: tromperie
German: Täuschung
Italian: inganno
Japanese: 欺くこと
Korean: 기만 행위
European Portuguese: engano
Latin American Spanish: engaño
Chinese translation of 'deception'
deception
(dɪˈsɛpʃən)
n
(u) (= deceiving) 欺骗(騙) (qīpiàn)
(c) (= deceitful act) 诡(詭)计(計) (guǐjì) (个(個), gè)
1 (noun)
Definition
the act of deceiving someone or the state of being deceived
He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.
Synonyms
trickery
They will resort to trickery in order to impress their clients.
fraud
He was jailed for two years for fraud.
deceit
The suspect was found guilty of theft, fraud and deceit on an incredible scale.
hypocrisy
He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.
cunning
an example of the cunning of modern art thieves
treachery
guile
I love children's innocence and lack of guile.
duplicity
He was guilty of duplicity in his private dealings.
insincerity
Too many superlatives lend a note of insincerity.
legerdemain
financial and legal legerdemain
dissimulation
craftiness
It all points to a criminal mind of almost diabolical craftiness.
fraudulence
deceitfulness
deceptiveness
Opposites
honesty
,
openness
,
fidelity
,
candour
,
frankness
,
truthfulness
,
trustworthiness
,
straightforwardness
,
artlessness
,
scrupulousness
2 (noun)
Definition
something that deceives
You've been the victim of a rather cruel deception.
Synonyms
trick
That was a really mean trick.
lie
I've had enough of your lies.
fraud
He never wrote the letter; it was a fraud.
cheat
bluff
The letter was a bluff.
sham
Their promises were exposed as a hollow sham.
snare
hoax
His claim to have a bomb was a hoax.
decoy
ruse
This was a ruse to divide them.
artifice
the artifice and illusion of sleight-of-hand card tricks
subterfuge
Most people can see right through that type of subterfuge.
canard
feint
a tiny feint or lunge to one side
stratagem
a competitive stratagem to secure customer loyalty
porky (British, slang)
pork pie (British, slang)
wile
hokum (slang, mainly US, Canadian)
leg-pull (British, informal)
imposture
snow job (slang, mainly US, Canadian)
fastie (Australian, slang)
Quotations
Deceive boys with toys, but men with oaths [Lysander]O what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive! [Walter Scott – Marmion]You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time [ascribed to Abraham Lincoln]One may smile, and smile, and be a villain [William Shakespeare – Hamlet]We are never so easily deceived as when we imagine we are deceiving others [Duc de la Rochefoucauld – Maxims]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of artifice
Definition
a clever trick
the artifice and illusion of sleight-of-hand card tricks
Synonyms
cunning,
scheming,
trick,
device,
craft,
tactic,
manoeuvre,
deception,
hoax,
expedient,
ruse,
guile,
trickery,
duplicity,
subterfuge,
stratagem,
contrivance,
chicanery,
wile,
craftiness,
artfulness,
slyness,
machination,
dodge
in the sense of bluff
Definition
deliberate deception to create the impression of a strong position