cheated; cheating; cheats
1
: to deprive of something valuable by the use of deceit or fraud
cheated the elderly couple out of their property
2
: to influence or lead by deceit, trick, or artifice
a young man who cheated young women into marrying him when he was already married
3
: to elude or thwart by or as if by outwitting
cheat death
1
a
: to practice fraud or trickery
denied the accusation that he cheated
b
: to violate rules dishonestly
cheat at cards
cheating on a test
2
: to be sexually unfaithful
—usually used with on
was cheating on his wife
3
: to position oneself defensively near a particular area in anticipation of a play in that area
the shortstop was cheating toward second base
1
2
or cheat code
: a code (such as a button combination or password) that activates a hidden feature or capability in a computer or video game
In fact, some game levels are so tough that I had to resort to cheats to get through.—
Peter Cohen
Peter CohenMost people think that using a cheat code is the only way to earn a dishonest reward …—Christopher Breen
Christopher Breen4
5
: the obtaining of property from another by an intentional active distortion of the truth
Synonyms
Examples of cheat in a Sentence
Verb
The players were accused of cheating.
I had to cheat in order to solve the puzzle.
The store cheats its customers through false advertising.
They cheated him out of a fair deal.
a heroin addict who has cheated death many times
Noun
a cheat at cards
Recent Examples on the Web
Brad Dress, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
The post comes as Trump has for days basely accused the key battleground state of cheating.
—Luke Barr, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024
Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, South Beach, fat camps, shakes, liquid diets, low carb, high fiber, zero fat, paleo, diet pills, four grapefruits a day, seven micro meals a day, six days of deprivation followed by one glorious cheat day....
—Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cheat 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
The activation comes amid a particularly tense election year, with former President Trump, the Republican nominee, already claiming that Democrats are cheating.
—Brad Dress, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
The post comes as Trump has for days basely accused the key battleground state of cheating.
—Luke Barr, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
Democrats propose to reap new revenue by raising tax rates on the wealthiest Americans and corporations, and by going after wealthy tax cheats.
—Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024
Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, South Beach, fat camps, shakes, liquid diets, low carb, high fiber, zero fat, paleo, diet pills, four grapefruits a day, seven micro meals a day, six days of deprivation followed by one glorious cheat day....
—Shelby Grad, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for cheat
Dictionary Entries Near cheat
Cite this Entry
“Cheat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cheat. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cheat
1 of 2 verb1
: to deprive of something valuable by dishonest methods
cheated them out of their property
2
: to successfully avoid or oppose by or as if by cleverness
the daredevil had cheated death again
3
: to use unfair or dishonest methods to gain an advantage
cheat on a test
cheat at cards
cheater
noun
cheat
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of cheating
2
: a person who cheats
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share