Webster's English Dictionary

Enter the word to look up:

cheat

1. cheat \'che-t\ n [earlier cheat forfeited property, fr. ME chet escheat, 
   short for (Xeschete - more at ESCHEAT 1: the act of fraudulently deceiving 
   : DECEPTION, FRAUD  2: one that cheats : PRETENDER, DECEIVER  3: any of 
   several grasses; esp : the common chess (Bromus secali nus) 4: the 
   obtaining of property from another by an intentional active distorti on of 
   the truth
2. cheat vt 1: to deprive of something valuable by the use of deceit or 
   fraud  2: to influence or lead by deceit, trick, or artifice  3: to defeat 
   in an expectation or purpose by deceit and trickery  1a: to practice fraud 
   or trickery  1b: to violate rules dishonestly (as at cards)  2: to be 
   sexually unfaithful  mean to get something from another by dishonesty or 
   deception. CHEAT suggests using trickery that escapes observation; COZEN 
   implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose; 
   DEFRAUD stresses depriving one of his rights and usu. connotes deliberate 
   perversion of the truth; SWINDLE implies large-scale cheating by means of 
   misrepresentation or mean abuse of confidence; OVERREACH implies getting 
   the better of in dealing or bargaining - cheat.er n SYN syn CHEAT, COZEN, 
   DEFRAUD, SWINDLE, OVERREACH