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cheat. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
cheat, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
cheat in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
cheat you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English acheten, variant of escheten, from Old French escheoiter, from the noun (see below). Displaced native Old English beswīcan.
Verb
cheat (third-person singular simple present cheats, present participle cheating, simple past and past participle cheated)
- (intransitive) To violate rules in order to gain, or attempt to gain, advantage from a situation.
- Synonym: break the rules
My brother flunked biology because he cheated on his mid-term.
- (intransitive) To be unfaithful to one's spouse or partner; to commit adultery, or to engage in sexual or romantic conduct with a person other than one's partner in contravention of the rules of society or agreement in the relationship.
- Synonym: step out on
My husband cheated on me with his secretary.
After he found out his wife cheated, he left her.
- (transitive) To avoid a seemingly inevitable thing.
He cheated death when his car collided with a moving train.
I feel as if I've cheated fate.
- (transitive) To deceive; to fool; to trick.
- Synonyms: belirt, blench, lirt
My ex-wife cheated me out of $40,000.
He cheated his way into office.
1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :I am subject to a tyrant, a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of this island.
1819 July 31, Geoffrey Crayon [pseudonym; Washington Irving], “Rural Life in England”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., number II, New York, N.Y.: C. S. Van Winkle, , →OCLC, page 130:[T]he holly providentially planted about the house, to cheat winter of its dreariness, and throw in a gleam of green summer to cheer the fireside:—all these bespeak the influence of taste, flowing down from high sources, and pervading the lowest levels of the public mind.
2018, Peter Smith, quoting Johnny Rotten, Sex Pistols: The Pride of Punk, Rowman & Littlefield, →ISBN, page xxvi:The gig ended with Rotten uttering the now famous line, “Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?” On January 17, the Sex Pistols split up.
- (informal, intransitive) To disregard self-imposed restrictions or commitments in favour of resting or indulging oneself.
Translations
violate rules to gain advantage
- Afrikaans: kroek
- Arabic: غَشَّ (ar) (ḡašša)
- Hijazi Arabic: غش (ḡašš)
- Moroccan Arabic: غشّ (ḡəšš)
- Assamese: ঠগ (thog), ভাঁৰ (bhãr)
- Azerbaijani: cığallıq etmək
- Bulgarian: измамвам (bg) (izmamvam), изигравам (bg) (izigravam)
- Catalan: trampejar (ca), mentir (ca), fer trampes
- Cherokee: ᎦᎶᏄᎮᎭ (galonuheha)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 出貓/出猫 (yue) (ceot1 maau1)
- Mandarin: 作弊 (zh) (zuòbì),使诈 (shǐzhà),使詐/使诈 (shǐzhà)
- Croatian: varati
- Czech: podvádět (cs)
- Danish: snyde (da), svindle, bedrage
- Dutch: vals spelen, bedriegen (nl)
- Esperanto: trompi
- Faroese: snýta, svíkja, svika
- Finnish: huijata (fi), luntata (fi)
- French: tricher (fr)
- German: schwindeln (de), schummeln (de), überlisten (de)
- Gothic: 𐌰𐍆𐌷𐍉𐌻𐍉𐌽 (afhōlōn)
- Hebrew: רימה (he)
- Hungarian: csal (hu), (at a test or exam) puskázik (hu)
- Icelandic: svindla (is)
- Irish: feall ar, déan cneámhaireacht ar, déan caimiléireacht ar, imir ar (at games), déan séitéireacht (ar) (at games), cúigleáil (at cards)
- Italian: fregare (it), imbrogliare (it)
- Japanese: 騙す (ja) (damasu), まやかす (ja) (mayakasu), 偽る (ja) (itsuwaru)
- Latin: fraudō
- Latvian: krāpt, šmaukt, mānīt, maldināt
- Luxembourgish: fuddelen
- Macedonian: ма́ми (mámi), и́леџи (íledži)
- Maori: purei tāhae
- Norwegian: jukse (no), fuske (no)
- Pashto: سینه (sanh)
- Polish: oszukiwać (pl)
- Portuguese: trapacear (pt), roubar (pt), batotar
- Romanian: trișa (ro)
- Russian: моше́нничать (ru) impf (mošénničatʹ), смоше́нничать (ru) pf (smošénničatʹ); мухлева́ть (ru) impf (muxlevátʹ), смухлева́ть (ru) pf (smuxlevátʹ); обма́нывать (ru) impf (obmányvatʹ), обману́ть (ru) pf (obmanútʹ); обду́ривать (ru) impf (obdúrivatʹ), обдури́ть (ru) pf (obdurítʹ); надува́ть (ru) impf (naduvátʹ), наду́ть (ru) pf (nadútʹ)
- Sanskrit: गर्धयते (gardhayate)
- Slovak: podvádzať
- Spanish: hacer trampa (es), embaír (es)
- Swedish: fuska (sv), svindla (sv), bedra (sv), lura (sv), fiffla (sv)
- Thai: โกง (th) (goong)
- Turkish: aldatmak (tr), dolandırmak (tr), kopya çekmek (education)
- Ukrainian: шахраюва́ти (šaxrajuváty), махлюва́ти (maxljuváty), дури́ти (uk) (durýty), обма́нювати (obmánjuvaty)
- Vietnamese: gian lận (vi), bịp (vi), xập xí xập ngầu
- Volapük: cütön (vo), (older term) citön
- Walloon: tructer (wa)
- Welsh: twyllo (cy)
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being unfaithful to sexual partner
- Arabic:
- Hijazi Arabic: خان (ḵān)
- Azerbaijani: xəyanət etmək (az)
- Bulgarian: изневеря́вам (bg) impf (izneverjávam), изме́ням (bg) impf (izménjam)
- Catalan: enganyar (ca), fer banyes, fer el salt
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 不忠 (zh) (bùzhōng), 出軌/出轨 (zh) (chūguǐ)
- Czech: podvádět (cs), být nevěrný
- Danish: være utro, bedrage
- Dutch: vreemdgaan (nl), overspel plegen, scheve schaats rijden
- Esperanto: kokri, adulti
- Finnish: pettää (fi)
- French: tromper (fr)
- Georgian: ღალატი (ɣalaṭi)
- German: die Ehe brechen, betrügen (de), fremdgehen (de)
- Hebrew: בגד (he)
- Hungarian: megcsal (hu)
- Icelandic: halda framhjá
- Italian: tradire (it)
- Japanese: (妻を欺いて) 不倫をする (ja) (ふりんをする, furin o suru)
- Macedonian: мами (mami)
- Maori: moe tāhae
- Norwegian: være utro, bedra (no)
- Polish: zdradzać (pl)
- Portuguese: trair (pt), chifrar (pt)
- Russian: изменя́ть (ru) impf (izmenjátʹ), измени́ть (ru) pf (izmenítʹ), (intransitive) гуля́ть (ru) impf (guljátʹ), (intransitive) ходи́ть нале́во (ru) impf (xodítʹ nalévo, literally “go left”) (colloquial)
- Spanish: engañar (es)
- Swedish: vara otrogen, bedra (sv), bedraga (sv), vänsterprassla (sv), vänstra (sv), vänsla
- Thai: นอกใจ (th) (nâawk-jai)
- Turkish: aldatmak (tr)
- Walloon: tromper (wa), fé on schård e sacramint (wa), fé on schård dins l' contrat (wa)
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manage to avoid something
to deceive
- Bulgarian: заблуждавам (bg) (zabluždavam)
- Catalan: enganyar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 行騙/行骗 (zh) (xíngpiàn)
- Czech: podvést (cs) pf, podvádět (cs) impf
- Esperanto: trompi, perfidi
- German: betrügen (de)
- Greek:
- Ancient: φηλόω (phēlóō), φενακίζω (phenakízō)
- Hungarian: rászed (hu), átejt (hu), becsap (hu), átver (hu), (obtaining money etc. by deception) kiforgat (hu), csalással (meg)szerez, kicsal (hu)
- Ido: eskrokar (io)
- Latin: fraudō
- Maori: mākoi, whakateke
- Nepali: छक्याउनु (chakyāunu)
- Spanish: engañar (es)
- Tamil: ஏமாற்று (ta) (ēmāṟṟu)
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Etymology 2
Inherited from Middle English chete, an aphetic form of eschete (“the reversion of property to the state”), from Old French eschet, escheit, escheoit (“that which falls to one”), from the past participle of eschoir (“to fall”) (modern French échoir), from Vulgar Latin *excadēre, from Latin ex + cadere (“fall”).
Noun
cheat (plural cheats)
- An act of deception or fraud; that which is the means of fraud or deception.
- Synonyms: fraud, trick, imposition, imposture
- Someone who cheats.
- Synonym: (informal) cheater
- The weed cheatgrass.
- (card games) A card game where the goal is to have no cards remaining in a hand, often by telling lies.
- Synonyms: bullshit, BS, I doubt it
- (video games) A hidden means of gaining an unfair advantage in a video game, often by entering a cheat code.
1992 January, Phil Howard, “Cheat Mode”, in Amstrad Action, number 76, page 32:I've had a number of requests for a cheat for Turrican the first. Yes, there is a keypress built in […]
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations
someone who is dishonest or cheats
- Arabic:
- Moroccan Arabic: غشّاش m (ḡəššæš), غشّاشة f (ḡəššæša)
- Bulgarian: измамник (bg) m (izmamnik), моше́ник (bg) m (mošénik)
- Catalan: trampós (ca)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 騙子/骗子 (zh) (piànzi), 作弊者 (zuòbìzhě)
- Dutch: bedrieger (nl)
- Finnish: huijari (fi)
- French: menteur (fr), tricheur (fr) m, tricheuse (fr) f
- Georgian: მოღალატე (moɣalaṭe), გამყიდველი (gamq̇idveli)
- Greek: απατεώνας (el) m (apateónas)
- Ancient: ἀπατεών m (apateṓn)
- Hungarian: csaló (hu), szélhámos (hu)
- Irish: séitéir m, bithiúnach m
- Italian: imbroglione (it) m, truffatore (it) m, pelagatti m
- Latin: fraudātor m
- Macedonian: измамник m (izmamnik), илеџија m (iledžija)
- Maori: kaipurei tāhae
- Norwegian: juksepave
- Polish: oszust (pl) m, oszustka (pl) f, zdrajca (pl) m, zdrajczyni (pl) f
- Portuguese: trapaceiro (pt), batoteiro (pt) m
- Russian: обма́нщик (ru) m (obmánščik), обма́нщица (ru) f (obmánščica), моше́нник (ru) f (mošénnik), моше́нница (ru) f (mošénnica)
- Sanskrit: धूर्त (sa) n (dhūrta)
- Spanish: tramposo (es)
- Swedish: skojare (sv) c, fuskare (sv) c
- Ukrainian: шахра́й (šaxráj), обма́нщик (obmánščyk)
- Walloon: tructeu (wa) m, tructeuse f, frawtineu (wa) m, frawtineuse f
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unfair advantage in a computer game
Etymology 3
Inherited from Middle English chet (“low-quality bread”), of unknown origin; compare manchet.
Noun
cheat (uncountable)
- (obsolete) A sort of low-quality bread.
1587, Raphaell Holinshed, Iohn Hooker, “Of the food and diet of the Engliſh”, in The firſt and ſecond volumes of Chronicles , volume I, London: Henry Denham, page 169:The raueled cheat therfore is generallie ſo made that out of one buſhell of meale, after two and twentie pounds of bran be ſifted and taken from it (wherevnto they ad the gurgeons that riſe from the manchet) they make thirtie cast, euerie lofe weighing eightéene ounces into the ouen and ſixteene ounces out […]
1746, Thomas Moffett, Christopher Bennet, Health's Improvement , London: T. Oſborne, page 339:Where by the way note, that loaves made of pure Wheaten Meal require both more Leaven and more labouring, and more baking than either coarſe Cheat or than Bread Mingled of Meal and Grudgins.
Translations
Further reading
Anagrams
French
Etymology
Borrowed from English cheat.
Pronunciation
Noun
cheat m (plural cheats)
- (video games) cheat
Portuguese
Alternative forms
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English cheat.
Pronunciation
Noun
cheat m (plural cheats)
- (video games) cheat (hidden means of gaining an unfair advantage in a video game)
- Synonyms: batota, trapaça, macete, hack
Derived terms