Cheat Definition and Meaning
By Maham Liaqat & Urooj Arif — Published on June 20, 2025
Cheat refers to act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage. e.g., She felt guilty about trying to cheat on the test.
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Cheat Definitions
To avoid something undesirable by dishonest means.
She tried to cheat death by making a deal with the villain.
To cause someone to believe something that is not true.
The magician used his skills to cheat the audience into believing he had vanished.
To escape from something by trickery.
The thief cheated jail by faking his own death.
To obtain by fraud or deceit.
He cheated his way into the prestigious club by forging documents.
To give an unfair advantage.
The team was accused of using banned substances to cheat victory.
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To take an examination or test in a dishonest way, as by improper access to answers.
The student attempted to cheat during the examination by looking at his neighbor's paper.
To deceive by trickery; swindle
Cheated customers by overcharging them for purchases.
To deprive by trickery; defraud
Cheated them of their land.
To mislead; fool
Illusions that cheat the eye.
To elude; escape
Cheat death.
To act dishonestly; practice fraud.
To violate rules deliberately, as in a game
Was accused of cheating at cards.
(Informal) To be sexually unfaithful
Cheat on a spouse.
(Sports) To position oneself closer to a certain area than is normal or expected
The shortstop cheated toward second base.
An act of cheating; a fraud or swindle.
One who cheats; a swindler.
A technique that exploits a flaw or hidden feature in a video game or computer program.
(Law) Fraudulent acquisition of another's property.
(Botany) Any of several species of brome, especially Bromus secalinus, an annual European grass widespread as a weed.
(intransitive) To violate rules in order to gain, or attempt to gain, advantage from a situation.
My brother flunked biology because he cheated on his mid-term.
(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.
My husband cheated on me with his secretary.
After he found out his wife cheated, he left her.
(transitive) To manage to avoid something even though it seemed inevitable.
He cheated death when his car collided with a moving train.
I feel as if I've cheated fate.
(transitive) To deceive; to fool; to trick.
My ex-wife cheated me out of $40,000.
He cheated his way into office.
Someone who cheats.
An act of deception or fraud; that which is the means of fraud or deception.
The weed cheatgrass.
(card games) A card game where the goal is to have no cards remaining in a hand, often by telling lies.
(video games) A hidden means of gaining an unfair advantage in a video game, often by entering a cheat code.
(obsolete) A sort of low-quality bread.
An act of deception or fraud; that which is the means of fraud or deception; a fraud; a trick; imposition; imposture.
When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat.
One who cheats or deceives; an impostor; a deceiver; a cheater.
Airy wonders, which cheats interpret.
A troublesome grass, growing as a weed in grain fields; - called also chess. See Chess.
The obtaining of property from another by an intentional active distortion of the truth.
Wheat, or bread made from wheat.
Their purest cheat,Thrice bolted, kneaded, and subdued in paste.
To deceive and defraud; to impose upon; to trick; to swindle.
I am subject to a tyrant, a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of this island.
To beguile.
To cheat winter of its dreariness.
To practice fraud or trickery; as, to cheat at cards.
Weedy annual grass often occurs in grainfields and other cultivated land; seeds sometimes considered poisonous
Weedy annual native to Europe but widely distributed as a weed especially in wheat
Someone who leads you to believe something that is not true
The act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme;
That book is a fraud
A deception for profit to yourself
Deprive somebody of something by deceit;
The con-man beat me out of $50
This salesman ripped us off!
We were cheated by their clever-sounding scheme
They chiseled me out of my money
Defeat someone in an expectation through trickery or deceit
Engage in deceitful behavior; practice trickery or fraud;
Who's chiseling on the side?
Be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage;
She cheats on her husband
Might her husband be wandering?
To deceive or trick someone.
He managed to cheat the system and got away with it.
To break a rule or law for personal gain.
Players who cheat in games ruin the fun for everyone.
To be unfaithful to a partner.
He discovered that his partner was planning to cheat on him.
To plagiarize; to use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own.
She was caught trying to cheat on her essay by copying from the internet.
Cheat Snonyms
Mislead
To lead someone in the wrong direction or give someone the wrong idea.
The advertisement misled consumers about the product's capabilities.
Trick
To deceive someone as a joke or in a clever way.
She tricked her brother into doing her chores.
Swindle
To obtain money or property by fraud; cheat.
He swindled investors out of millions of dollars.
Dupe
To deceive someone by making them believe something that is not true.
The con artist duped him into investing in a fake business.
Fool
To trick someone into believing something that is false.
The illusionist fooled the audience with his elaborate tricks.
Defraud
To illegally take money, rights, etc., from someone by deception.
The company was found to defraud its customers through hidden fees.
Hoodwink
To deceive or trick someone.
She hoodwinked him into signing a contract without reading it.
Deceive
To cause someone to believe something that is not true.
He deceived his friends by pretending to be wealthy.
Con
To persuade someone to do or believe something by lying to them.
He conned her into thinking he was a doctor.
Bamboozle
To deceive by underhanded methods; dupe, hoodwink.
They bamboozled him out of his life savings with a pyramid scheme.
Cheat Idioms & Phrases
Cheat on someone
To be unfaithful to one's partner.
It was shocking to learn that he had been cheating on his wife for years.
Cheat the clock
To do something more quickly than seems possible.
By skipping steps, he managed to cheat the clock and finish the project early.
Cheat fate
Similar to cheating death, to narrowly escape a dire situation.
By avoiding the trip last minute, she felt she had cheated fate.
Cheat the scales
To manipulate weighing instruments to show incorrect results.
The vendor was caught cheating the scales to charge more for less produce.
Cheat someone out of something
To deceive someone in order to take something from them.
The dishonest lawyer cheated the family out of their inheritance.
Cheat sheet
A small piece of paper with answers or hints used secretly for a test.
The student hid a cheat sheet in his sleeve during the exam.
Cheat the system
To manipulate rules or systems for personal gain.
They found a loophole to cheat the system and pay fewer taxes.
Cheat one's way into
To gain entry or acceptance by dishonest means.
He cheated his way into the exclusive club by pretending to be a celebrity.
Live by the cheat, die by the cheat
Suggests that dishonest actions eventually lead to one's downfall.
He always manipulated others for gain, truly living by the cheat, die by the cheat.
Play the cheat
To act in a deceitful manner.
She played the cheat during the game, hiding cards under the table.
Cheat Example Sentences
He felt bad for attempting to cheat on his diet.
Trying to cheat in the game will only get you disqualified.
Her attempt to cheat the aging process amazed everyone.
They developed a secret code to cheat during the quiz.
To cheat or not to cheat was the question he pondered.
Many students think they can cheat without getting caught.
The magician's trick made it seem like he could cheat gravity.
He created a cheat sheet for the math test.
People who cheat often underestimate the intelligence of others.
She found out that her best friend tried to cheat her.
Attempting to cheat fate, he made a risky decision.
Some believe that to cheat death is to live a full life.
The company tried to cheat its way to success.
Common Curiosities
How many syllables are in "cheat"?
"Cheat" has one syllable.
What is a stressed syllable in "cheat"?
In the word "cheat," the one syllable it contains is stressed: /cheat/.
What is the pronunciation of "cheat"?
"Cheat" is pronounced as /tʃiːt/.
What is the verb form of "cheat"?
The verb form is "cheat," as in to engage in dishonest behavior.
How do we divide "cheat" into syllables?
Since "cheat" is a single syllable word, it is not divided.
What is the first form of "cheat"?
The first (base) form is "cheat."
What is another term for "cheat"?
Another term for "cheat" is "deceiver."
What is the singular form of "cheat"?
The singular form is "cheat," referring to a single act of cheating or one who cheats.
What is the root word of "cheat"?
The root of "cheat" comes from the Middle English "cheten."
What is the second form of "cheat"?
The second (past) form is "cheated."
What is the third form of "cheat"?
The third (past participle) form is also "cheated."
What part of speech is "cheat"?
"Cheat" can be used as both a verb (to engage in dishonest behavior) and a noun (someone who cheats).
Why is it called "cheat"?
The term "cheat" originates from the Middle English word "cheten" which meant to escheat, a legal term referring to the reversion of property to the state when a person dies without heirs. Over time, its meaning shifted towards acquiring property by deceit or trickery, and eventually broadened to include any act of deception.
How is "cheat" used in a sentence?
e.g., He tried to cheat on the exam but got caught.
Is "cheat" a negative or positive word?
"Cheat" is considered a negative word because it involves dishonesty or unfairness.
Is the word "cheat" Gerund?
Yes, "cheating" can be a gerund, which is the -ing form used as a noun, e.g., "Cheating is frowned upon."
Is "cheat" an adverb?
No, "cheat" is not an adverb.
Is "cheat" an abstract noun?
When used as a noun, "cheat" can refer to a concrete person who cheats or the act of cheating, so it is not purely abstract.
Is "cheat" a collective noun?
No, "cheat" is not typically used as a collective noun.
Which vowel is used before "cheat"?
The vowel sound used before "cheat" can vary; no specific rule applies because "cheat" starts with a consonant sound.
What is the opposite of "cheat"?
The opposite of "cheat" can be "honor" or "play fair."
Is "cheat" a vowel or consonant?
The word "cheat" starts with a consonant sound.
Is the "cheat" term a metaphor?
"Cheat" can be used metaphorically, as in "cheating death."
Is the word "cheat" imperative?
"Cheat" can be used in the imperative mood when giving a command, e.g., "Cheat less."
Which conjunction is used with "cheat"?
Conjunctions such as "and," "but," or "because" can be used with "cheat," depending on the sentence structure.
Which article is used with "cheat"?
Both "a" and "the" can be used with "cheat," depending on whether it is being used in a specific or general sense.
What is the plural form of "cheat"?
The plural form is "cheats," referring to multiple instances of cheating or multiple people who cheat.
Is "cheat" a noun or adjective?
"Cheat" can be a noun (referring to a person who cheats or the act of cheating) and a verb, but it is not commonly used as an adjective.
Is "cheat" a countable noun?
Yes, when used as a noun, "cheat" is countable (e.g., cheats, a cheat).
Is the word “cheat” a Direct object or an Indirect object?
"Cheat" can serve as a direct object in sentences where cheating is the action being performed, e.g., "They don't tolerate cheat."
Which determiner is used with "cheat"?
Determiners like "a," "the," or "every" can be used with "cheat," depending on the context.
Which preposition is used with "cheat"?
Prepositions like "on," "in," and "with" can be used with "cheat," depending on the context.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
