Deceive definition

dĭ-sēv

Words form:

Frequency:

To make (a person) believe what is not true; delude; mislead.

verb

To cause to believe what is not true; mislead.

verb

(archaic) To be false to; betray.

verb

verb

(archaic) To catch by guile; ensnare.

verb

To use deceit; lie.

verb

(archaic) To while away (time)

verb

To give a false impression.

Appearances can deceive.

verb

To practice deceit.

verb

Deceive is defined as to make someone believe something that isn't true.

An example of deceive is a parent telling their child there is a tooth fairy.

verb

Origin of deceive

Middle English deceiven from Old French deceveir from Vulgar Latin dēcipēre from Latin dēcipere to ensnare, deceive dē- de- capere to seize kap- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Middle English deceyven, from Old French deceivre (Modern French décevoir), from Latin decipere (“to deceive, beguile, entrap”), from de- (“from”) + capere (“to seize”); see captive. Compare conceive, perceive, receive.

From Wiktionary