cheat

noun

(countable) An act of deception or fraud; that which is the means of fraud or deception.

(countable) Someone who cheats.

(video games, countable) A hidden means of gaining an unfair advantage in a video game, often by entering a cheat code.

(card games, uncountable) A card game where the goal is to have no cards remaining in a hand, often by telling lies.

(uncountable) The weed cheatgrass.

(obsolete) A sort of low-quality bread.

verb

(intransitive) To violate rules in order to gain, or attempt to gain, advantage from a situation.

(intransitive) To be unfaithful to one's spouse or partner; to commit adultery, or to engage in sexual or romantic conduct with a person other than one's partner in contravention of the rules of society or agreement in the relationship.

(transitive) To deceive; to fool; to trick.

(transitive) To avoid a seemingly inevitable thing.

(informal, intransitive) To disregard self-imposed restrictions or commitments in favour of resting or indulging oneself.

Roots

escheatcheat- · Old French · confiscated property

Synonyms for cheat

swindlen deceivern diddlerv deceivev defraudern cozenagen cardsharpingn hoodwinkv cozenerv deceptionn dupen bilkv deceitn trickstern scamn befoolv victimizev swindlern fraudn flimflamn hocus

Words related to cheat

cheatinglyadv betrayv cheatersn beguilern cozeningv finaglern duperyn defraudationn defraudingv undeceivableadj defraudedv nuncle humbuggern deceitfuladj dishonestadj conniverv dupern gypster trickingn

Synonyms & related words for cheat

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of cheat — including swindle, deceiver, diddler, deceive, defrauder, cozenage. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to cheat

Explore words related to cheat — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include cheatingly, betray, cheaters, beguiler, cozening, finagler, dupery, defraudation. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for cheat

Common synonyms for cheat include swindle, deceiver, diddler, deceive, defrauder, cozenage, cardsharping, hoodwink — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does cheat come from?

The word cheat breaks down into one root of Old French origin: the root cheat-, from Old French escheat (“confiscated property”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.