Meaning & use
deceived
Last updated
“deceived” is a form of “deceive”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
tricked or misled someone into believing something that is not true
Grammar: Past tense and past participle of 'deceive'; the object is the person who was tricked: She deceived her parents.
Patterns
- deceive someone
- be deceived by someone
- deceive someone into doing something
He deceived his customers by selling fake watches.
She felt deceived when she learned the truth about the contract.
The company deceived investors into thinking the product was safe.
verbtransitive
given a false impression; made someone believe something that is not real
Grammar: Often used about appearances or senses: looks can deceive.
Patterns
- appearances can deceive
- someone's eyes deceived them
The calm surface deceived us; the water was actually very deep.
His friendly smile deceived me at first.
Word forms
| base form | deceive |
|---|---|
| third person singular | deceives |
| past tense | deceived |
| past participle | deceived |
| -ing form | deceiving |
Common combinations
- be easily deceived
- Children can be easily deceived by strangers.
- feel deceived
- Many voters felt deceived after the election.
- deceive yourself
- Don't deceive yourself into thinking it will be easy.
- deceive someone into doing something
- He deceived her into signing the document.
Synonyms and how they differ
- trick
- Trick is more informal and often involves a clever plan; deceive is broader and can include lying or hiding the truth.
- mislead
- Mislead often suggests giving wrong information without necessarily intending to harm; deceive usually implies deliberate dishonesty.
- cheat
- Cheat focuses on breaking rules or acting dishonestly to gain an advantage; deceive focuses on making someone believe something false.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: deceived or deceit?
deceived vs deceit
Deceit is a noun meaning dishonest behavior; deceived is the past tense of the verb deceive.
Practice
Choose the correct form: She felt ___ when she found out the truth.
Choose one answer.
We need the past participle 'deceived' after 'felt' to describe how she felt. 'Deceive' is the base form, 'deceiving' is the -ing form, and 'deceives' is third person singular, none of which fit here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “deceived”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.