Meaning & use
cheating
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“cheating” is a form of “cheat”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
noununcountable
Dishonest behavior used to gain an advantage, especially by breaking rules in a game, test or contest.
Grammar: No plural or a: cheating is not allowed.
Patterns
- cheating in something
- cheating at something
The teacher caught two students for cheating during the final exam.
Cheating at cards can get you thrown out of the club.
The cyclist was banned for cheating after failing a drug test.
noununcountableinformal
Being unfaithful to a romantic partner by secretly having a relationship with someone else.
Grammar: Often followed by on: cheating on a partner.
Patterns
- cheating on someone
She ended the relationship after finding out about his cheating.
Cheating on a partner can destroy trust quickly.
They talked openly about cheating and what each saw as a betrayal.
verbtransitive or intransitive
Present participle of cheat: acting dishonestly or unfairly to win or gain something, or deceiving someone.
Grammar: No object when cheating at a game; with an object when cheating someone out of money.
Patterns
- cheating at something
- cheating someone out of something
- cheating on someone
He was cheating at cards the entire evening.
The seller was cheating customers out of their change.
Students were cheating on the test by sharing answers.
Word forms
| base form | cheat |
|---|---|
| third person singular | cheats |
| past tense | cheated |
| past participle | cheated |
Common combinations
- caught cheating
- He was caught cheating on the exam.
- accused of cheating
- The team was accused of cheating.
- cheating scandal
- The cheating scandal shocked the school.
- cheating on
- He denied cheating on his wife.
- cheating at
- Cheating at chess is hard to hide.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dishonesty
- Dishonesty is broader, covering lying or stealing, while cheating means breaking rules to win or gain.
- fraud
- Fraud is more serious and usually legal, involving deception for money, while cheating can be minor, as in a game.
- plagiarism
- Plagiarism is a specific form of academic cheating, namely copying another person's work as your own.
- infidelity
- Infidelity is a formal word for unfaithfulness in a relationship, while cheating is the casual everyday word.
Opposites
Word family
- cheat verb
- to act dishonestly to gain an advantage
- cheat noun
- a person who cheats
- cheater noun
- someone who cheats, especially in games
- cheatsheet noun
- notes secretly used or a quick reference guide
Commonly confused: cheating or chatting?
cheating vs chatting
Chatting means talking in a friendly way. Cheating is dishonest behavior, and the two look and sound somewhat alike.
Practice
The two students were punished for ___ on the exam by sharing answers.
Choose one answer.
Cheating on an exam means breaking the rules to get a better result. Checking and chatting are similar in shape but would not describe dishonest behavior.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cheating”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.