noun
deceit
dih-SEET
noun
1
The act of deliberately misleading someone; a trick or lie meant to fool someone.
"He got the promotion through flattery and deceit."
"She felt betrayed when she discovered his deceit."
2
In law, a false statement made knowingly or recklessly to trick someone into relying on it, causing them harm.
"The buyer sued the seller for deceit after learning the car's mileage had been faked."
How to Use Deceit
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDishonesty aimed at tricking someone — lying, misleading, or scheming.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "deceipt" (not a word) or with "conceit" (excessive pride), which looks and sounds similar but means something completely different.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
full of deceit
through deceit
an act of deceit
Word Forms
deceits plural
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He got the promotion through flattery and _____.
Etymology
From Old French deceite, from decevoir ("to deceive"), ultimately from Latin decipere, "to catch out, cheat."