deceit

noun

de·​ceit di-ˈsēt How to pronounce deceit (audio)
1
: the act of causing someone to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid : the act or practice of deceiving : deception
achieving one's goals through a web of deceit
2
: an attempt or device to deceive : trick
Her excuse turned out to be a deceit.
3
: the quality of being dishonest or misleading : the quality of being deceitful : deceitfulness
… far from deceit or guile.John Milton

Examples of deceit in a Sentence

a rise to power that was marked by treachery and deceit she's completely free of deceit
Recent Examples on the Web This approach reveals the web of deceit and the contradictions inherent to the crisis pregnancy center missions and the broader pro-life movement. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024 The pattern of deceit repeated before the full-scale invasion in February 2022, with Putin denying any plans for war until the very last moment. Tribune News Service, Orange County Register, 14 Feb. 2024 With a focus on who fell prey to Raniere’s mechanisms of deceit, viewers get to consider not only who gets sucked into cults, but who is left in shambles when the lies come crumbling down. Eric Farwell, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2023 This blatant overlooking of an evidently inclusive process is not just baffling but verges on the brink of intellectual deceit and bankruptcy. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 19 Jan. 2024 Her character falls in love with a body builder (Katy O’Brian) who gets caught up in a mess of murder and deceit. Sonia Rao, Washington Post, 27 Jan. 2024 Eventually, their relationship becomes Macchiarini’s undoing, exposing his global web of lies and deadly deceit. Vulture, 21 Dec. 2023 More important, the anguish, the fury, and the deceit that the affair unleashes—and the pitiless precision with which Breillat films them—provide a surer and clearer judgment on the action. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2023 Rebecca Smith, a reporter who used her in-depth knowledge of the utility business to expose Enron’s financial deceit, the failure of California’s energy deregulation and the problems with PG&E ’s fire-prone power lines, died on Dec. 15 from complications of an autoimmune disease. Katherine Blunt, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English deceite, from Anglo-French, from Latin decepta, feminine of deceptus, past participle of decipere — see deceive

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of deceit was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near deceit

Cite this Entry

“Deceit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deceit. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

deceit

noun
de·​ceit di-ˈsēt How to pronounce deceit (audio)
1
: the act or practice of deceiving : deception
2
: an attempt or scheme to deceive : trick
3
: the quality of being deceitful

Legal Definition

deceit

noun
de·​ceit
: deliberate and misleading concealment, false declaration, or artifice : deception
theft by deceit
also : the tort of committing or carrying out deceit
an action for deceit
see also fraud, misrepresentation

More from Merriam-Webster on deceit

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