EN

Synonyms for cheat

  • noun
  • verb

Most common

fraud deceiver trick swindler bandit swindle tare

Synonyms by meaning

Noun

1. Fraud — an act of deception or fraud; that which is the means of fraud or deception

fraud, deceiver, trick, swindler, imposture, deception, trickster, deceit, rip-off, charlatan, hypocrite, fudge, sell, imposition, double-dealer, chicanery, phony informal US, phoney UK, imposter, knave, delusion, shark, slicker

2. Cheater — someone who cheats

cheater informal, bandit

3. Swindle

swindle, rig

4. Tare

tare, darnel

Other

trump, chess, cog, juggler, blackleg, thimblerig, pickpenny, bullshit vulgar slang, skin slang dated

Verb

1. Mislead — to deceive; to fool; to trick

mislead, deceive, fool, beguile formal, defraud, bilk, dupe, take in, victimize, victimise UK, delude, mock, overreach, hoax, born, gull, rook, blench, lirt UK, diddle slang, bamboozle informal dated, befool dated, cozen dated

2. Chouse

chicane, shaft, jockey, chouse dated, screw slang

3. Betray

betray, cuckold, wander

Other

do, rob, beat, cross out, gouge, hood-wink, hocus, stack the deck, chisel informal, stick slang dated

Antonyms

play fair, be honest, be faithful

All antonyms of cheat →

Definitions

  1. n. 1

    An act of deception or fraud; that which is the means of fraud or deception.

  2. n. 2

    Someone who cheats.

  3. v. 1

    To deceive; to fool; to trick.

    He cheated his way into office.

  4. v. 2

    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.

Related words

Word family
cheater cheating
Phrases
cheat on cheat sheet cheat death cheat fate cheat out

Forms

Plural
cheats → frauds, deceivers, tricks, swindlers…
Past participle
cheated
e.g. cheated → misled, deceived, fooled, beguiled…

Choose the right word

Cheat or Fraud?

A cheat is a mean advantage in a bargain; a fraud, any form of covert robbery or injury.

J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)

Example sentences

  • fraud Academic fraud is more common than you might think.
  • deception She was aware of his propensity towards deception.
  • deceiver The truth is, he is nothing other than a deceiver.
  • swindler She went so far as to say that he was a swindler.
  • trump The time has come for you to play your trump card.
  • chess Were you really playing chess at 11:30 last night?

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
cheatrising
fraudrising
deceptionrising
deceiverrising
swindlersteady
trumprising

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

2 letters
do1
3 letters
rob1, rig1, cog1
4 letters
born1, sell1, beat1, skin1, fool1, mock1, hoax1, rook1, gull1, dupe1, tare, bilk1, lirt
5 letters
trump1, stick1, trick1, fraud1, screw1, shark1, chess1, shaft1, phony2, fudge1, gouge1, hocus2, knave1, cozen
6 letters
wander2, jockey2, bandit2, betray2, deceit2, chisel2, phoney2, delude2, diddle2, blench, darnel2, befool, chouse
7 letters
deceive2, cheater2, mislead2, defraud2, cuckold, swindle2, slicker2, juggler3, chicane, beguile2
8 letters
bullshit2, delusion3, imposter3, deceiver, swindler3, blackleg
9 letters
deception3, hypocrite3, trickster2, charlatan3, overreach3, chicanery4, victimize3, bamboozle, imposture, victimise, pickpenny
10 letters
imposition4, thimblerig

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (phony2 = 2 syllables).