Cheat

/tʃiːt/

verbBeginner🔥Very CommonAction
2 meanings1 idiom/phrase2 questions

Definitions

2 meanings
1

To deceive or trick someone, often for personal gain.

/tʃiːt/

verbnegativeBeginner
Action

To act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage.

He cheated on the test and got a bad grade.

💡 Simply: To cheat means to be sneaky and not play fair. Imagine someone secretly looking at your test answers – that's cheating!

👶 For kids: To not be fair and trick someone.

More Examples

2

Don't cheat at games, it's not fun!

How It's Used

Education

"He cheated on the exam by copying from his neighbor."

Games

"She cheated at cards by secretly looking at the other player's hand."

2

A dishonest act intended to gain an advantage.

/tʃiːt/

nounnegativeBeginner
Action

An act of cheating.

He was caught for a cheat during the game.

💡 Simply: A cheat is something sneaky someone does to win unfairly, like using hidden answers on a test.

👶 For kids: Something bad that someone does to win.

More Examples

2

That's a real cheat!

How It's Used

Games

"The referee caught the player in a cheat."

Tip:Remember, a 'cheat' is a sneaky act.

Idioms & expressions

cheat on someone

To be unfaithful in a romantic relationship.

"He cheated on his wife with his colleague."

From Middle English *cheten, from Old English *cēatan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch *cheten and German *täuschen.

The word has been used to denote dishonesty for centuries, appearing in various forms in early English literature.

Memory tip

Think of a 'cheat sheet' – it's used to gain an unfair advantage.

Word Origin

LanguageOld English
Original meaning

"To deceive or trick"

cheat on a testcheat at cardscheat death

Common misspellings

cheetcheate

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written