cheat 1 of 2

verb

ˈchēt How to pronounce cheat (audio)
Definition of cheatnext
1
as in to misrepresent
to use dishonest methods to achieve a goal students who cheat on tests end up never knowing anything

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to lie
to be sexually unfaithful he suspects that his girlfriend is cheating on him

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to disappoint
to fall short in satisfying the expectation or hope of the daredevil survived his plunge over the falls with barely a scratch, having cheated death once again

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to squeeze
to rob by the use of trickery or threats a despicable confidence man who heartlessly cheated elderly people out of their savings

Synonyms & Similar Words

cheat

2 of 2

noun

as in dodger
a dishonest person who uses clever means to cheat others out of something of value a cheat at cards

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb cheat contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cheat are cozen, defraud, and swindle. While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

When can cozen be used instead of cheat?

The words cozen and cheat are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose.

always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

When is defraud a more appropriate choice than cheat?

The meanings of defraud and cheat largely overlap; however, defraud stresses depriving one of his or her rights and usually connotes deliberate perversion of the truth.

defrauded of her inheritance by an unscrupulous lawyer

Where would swindle be a reasonable alternative to cheat?

In some situations, the words swindle and cheat are roughly equivalent. However, swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of cheat
Verb
As Gabe yells that Morgan cheated and broke up the family, a grin starts to spread across Nick’s and Serena’s faces. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026 It's been more entertaining but a lot of the excitement has come from the forwards cheating for offense once again. — James Mirtle, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
Maybe Wednesday’s power play will provide a cheat code for seven months from now. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 1 Oct. 2026 This guy has the infinite money cheat behind him and is very dangerous. — Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cheat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cheat
  1. misrepresent
  2. lie
  3. disappoint
  4. squeeze
  5. dodger
  6. evade
  7. sleep
  8. hustle
Verb
  • In response, the watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint Wednesday with the State Bar of California asking it to investigate whether Zacharia misrepresented herself as a lawyer in violation of California law.
    — Jill Colvin, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But Amendment 83 has drawn an especially stark contrast between two types of Colorado’s hunters, with each claiming that the other is misrepresenting the interest of both the public and Centennial State hunters and anglers.
    — Andrew McKean, Outdoor Life, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of misrepresent
Verb
  • Federal authorities accused her Monday of fraudulently registering to vote in July 2006 and then lying about it in her naturalization paperwork in March 2026.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • This tiny place lies 155 miles north of the Arctic Circle, beside Torneträsk, a 43-mile-long lake.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of lie
Verb
  • The California Attorney General’s Office, in a statement, said it was disappointed by the decision and reviewing the opinion from the judges.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The year’s most discussable film is finally in theaters and its many bizarre surprises don’t disappoint.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of disappoint
Verb
  • Meta squeezes two independent light-guiding cores into a single standard glass strand to double its bandwidth.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Fuel expenses are squeezing daily household budgets and tightening cash flow toward the end of the month, with reports indicating a growing number of French employees are requesting payroll advances to manage month end expenses.
    — , CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeeze
Noun
  • The White House is now cracking down on these tariff dodgers.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Ukraine faces severe personnel shortages with around 200,000 military desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers, threatening its ability to sustain the war against Russia’s 2022 invasion.
    — Kirsten Grieshaber, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Definition of dodger
Verb
  • The new Marvel series will see the hero grapple with his identity and humanity while evading a bounty hunter and reuniting with his son.
    — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Last year, a Houthi missile evaded Israel’s vaunted air defenses and impacted near Ben Gurion airport.
    — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of evade
Verb
  • The cars need to charge for about fifty minutes every six to eight hours—a cycle under way twenty-four hours a day, because a Waymo does not sleep at night.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In the premium version of the app, Health Guardian also monitors blood pressure, insulin resistance, and sleeping trends.
    — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of sleep
Verb
  • The last thing the Bears need is for Williams to hustle back only to reinjure himself and miss more time.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • That urgency has marked Holden’s prolific output—especially the thrilling first installment of his Supreme Magnetic series in 2025 and 2022’s Joe Frog—as the Harlem rapper uses his street-hustling past to paint an autobiographical portrait.
    — Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of hustle

Browse Nearby Words

cheapskates
cheat
cheated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cheat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cheat. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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