feint

1 of 2

noun

: something feigned
specifically : a mock blow or attack on or toward one part in order to distract attention from the point one really intends to attack
The boxer made a feint with his right, then followed with a left hook.

feint

2 of 2

verb

feinted; feinting; feints

intransitive verb

: to make a feint

transitive verb

1
: to lure or deceive with a feint
2
: to make a pretense of
Choose the Right Synonym for feint

trick, ruse, stratagem, maneuver, artifice, wile, feint mean an indirect means to gain an end.

trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.

the tricks of the trade

ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.

the ruses of smugglers

stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.

the stratagem-filled game

maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.

last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.

the clever artifices of the stage

wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.

used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.

a feint toward the enemy's left flank

Examples of feint in a Sentence

Noun The boxer made a feint with his right, then followed with a left hook. Verb He feinted with his right, then followed with a left hook.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
As the months passed, and more troops encircled the country, the question was whether Mr. Putin was making a feint or preparing for war. Michael Schwirtz, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024 Portman generates most of May December’s comedy with a performance that suggests small feints of common human feeling, along with an underlying ruthlessness or perhaps, like Daisy Buchanan in The Great Gatsby, a carelessness that’s close to contempt. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 30 Nov. 2023 The slogan Save Our Children (there is also a nonprofit called Save Our Children that has been unfairly swept up in this craziness) has now become Leave Our Kids Alone — a skillful political feint that puts fear over reality. Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 As international mediators in Cairo keep working to secure a pause in fighting and the release of Israeli hostages, some Israeli political commentators have suggested that Netanyahu’s threats against Rafah are a diplomatic feint, aimed at pressuring Hamas to accept a deal. Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024 This seems to be a pattern: a brief feint toward newish curatorial strategies — including thematic rooms and mixing of media — followed by a long, reflexive return to the chronological and geographical categories that have governed the study of Western art. Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024 But Western officials warn that Moscow could try and divert Ukrainian resources through feints and deceptions — which could come from anywhere. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2023 The third season of Slow Horses, Apple TV+’s magnificent, impertinent spy series, begins with a feint: two lovers chasing state secrets in Istanbul, followed by a thrilling boat chase across the Bosphorus that turns into a car chase that ends in tragedy. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2023 On first listen, Tirzah’s latest album seems like a feint. Pitchfork, 7 Dec. 2023
Verb
Bud snaked his way inside, feinting in the middle distance and eating some shots on the way in — but nothing that rattled him. Tyler R. Tynes, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2023 The show also feints at a proper whodunnit, then builds to a nuanced, if anticlimactic conclusion, and all at a lazy river’s pace. Joshua Alston, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023 What’s more, Susan Neuman told me, some clever members of the sixty per cent may be able to feint their way through books for early readers, and so the true extent of their lack of decoding skills may not emerge until as late as third grade. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2022 Unlike Nolan, who wrestled with political questions in his Batman films—successfully or not—Snyder’s movies feint toward depth. Eliana Dockterman, Time, 15 Mar. 2021 But instead of just directly attacking the tackle’s near shoulder off the snap, Crawford disguises his intention by feinting a speed rush. John Owning, Dallas News, 3 June 2020 Sandworm spent years obfuscating and feinting and leaving false flags to suggest that others were behind its handiwork. Dina Temple-Raston, Washington Post, 26 Dec. 2019 Also feinting were designers like Burberry’s Riccardo Tisci and Area’s Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg, who used beading to create the effect of a dress layered upon a real one. Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2019 That does lead us down an interesting path, though: If the story and the stars are a lot of what makes great rom-coms work, and Hollywood is feinting toward more inclusive casting and storytelling, how will rom-coms evolve going forward? Alissa Wilkinson, Vox, 29 Aug. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'feint.' 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

Noun

borrowed from French feinte, going back to Middle French fainte, feinte "act of dissembling, subterfuge," noun derivative from feminine past participle of feindre "to fabricate, dissemble, feign"

Verb

derivative of feint entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1644, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1741, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of feint was in 1644

Dictionary Entries Near feint

Cite this Entry

“Feint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feint. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

feint

noun
ˈfānt
: a pretended blow or attack at one point in order to distract attention from the point one really intends to attack
feint verb

More from Merriam-Webster on feint

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