How to Use deceive in a Sentence

deceive

verb
Definition of deceivenext
Synonyms for deceivenext
  • He was accused of deceiving the customer about the condition of the car.
  • Her parents punished her for trying to deceive them.
  • Remember that appearances can deceive—just because something looks good doesn't mean it is good.
  • People who think they can eat whatever they want without harming their health are deceiving themselves.
  • In the song, Eilish croons about the pain of being deceived.
    — Charles Trepany, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2020
  • That said, looks are deceiving with the cushion in the max stack.
    — Sarah Kester, Travel + Leisure, 30 Jan. 2024
  • In its verb form, to be humbugged is to be deceived or be the victim of a hoax.
    — Elizabeth Wolfe and Douglas S. Wood, CNN, 21 Dec. 2019
  • The waves that crash and spray near the shoreline can be deceiving.
    — Erica Sloan, SELF, 2 July 2024
  • The dogs and the customs agents at Dulles Airport were not deceived.
    — Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2024
  • But there are lies meant to impress, and there are lies meant to deceive.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2024
  • You should not be deceived, this event on 18th of March is not elections.
    — Rob Arcand, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2018
  • In the case of Titi’s corn empanadas, looks were not deceiving.
    — Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 24 July 2024
  • There are games when the final box score is a bit deceiving.
    — Don Markus, baltimoresun.com, 8 Jan. 2018
  • Look closely at these tiny worlds and yep, your eyes don’t deceive you.
    — Rachael Lallensack, Smithsonian, 7 June 2019
  • Pro days don't do anything but deceive scouts and waste time until the NFL draft.
    — Doug Lesmerises, cleveland.com, 22 Oct. 2017
  • Then again, Marvel and the people working with the studio have been known to lie and deceive fans.
    — Chris Smith, BGR, 19 July 2022
  • But because of the in-store only offers, some of the deals are deceiving.
    — Nena Farrell, WIRED, 12 July 2023
  • And unless my eyes deceive me, the shine is turned up to 11 thanks to shimmer in her middle part.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 8 Jan. 2025
  • But looks can be deceiving: The blades travel at 180 mph.
    — William Booth, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2023
  • The bot's goal is to deceive his fellow contestants and land in their endgame.
    — Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 15 Apr. 2024
  • Become a Subscriber In the south of Italy, distances deceive.
    — Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2023
  • The show is all about performance, as the only way to win the game is by deceiving the others.
    — Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Dec. 2024
  • The safety turns his hips to deceive his intentions, then covers the middle of the field.
    — cleveland, 25 Nov. 2020
  • The Eagles are fifth in the league in rushing, but that number is deceiving.
    — Paul Domowitch, Philly.com, 1 Nov. 2017
  • There was no trying to deceive you or anything like that.
    — Edward Lee, baltimoresun.com, 24 Aug. 2020
  • To Ashai, the Afghan passport suggests the Masts’ willingness to deceive.
    — Rozina Ali, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2022
  • While Hampton can be a fine pass catcher, the stats are a bit deceiving.
    — Steve Bradshaw, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
  • But his composure coupled with his fair skin and red hair deceive the eye.
    — Luis Miguel Echegaray, SI.com, 2 June 2017
  • Steven might not have intended to deceive you two decades ago.
    — Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 24 June 2018
  • Both look ill-prepared for the rough terrain beyond, but looks can be deceiving, and sometimes preparation isn’t enough anyway.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deceive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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