cheat

IPA/tʃiːt/
KK[tʃˈit]IPA/tʃiːt/

cheat — verb

  • cheatpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • cheatshe / she / it
  • cheatedpast simple
  • cheating-ing form

1. to use lies or forbidden methods to get an advantage over other people, especial

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to use lies or forbidden methods to get an advantage over other people, especially in a game, test, or business situation

Example

Darius cheated on the test by hiding notes inside his pencil case.

cheat + on + [test/exam] — dishonest advantage

Some players tried to cheat the system by using fake names to enter the competition twice.

cheat + [system/rule] — transitive use

Common collocations
  • cheat on a test
  • cheat at cards
  • cheat someone out of money
  • cheat the system
Synonyms
  • swindle

    more specific — taking money or property through a planned deception, usually in business

  • deceive

    broader — making someone believe something false, not necessarily about rules or gain

  • trick

    milder — can be playful or harmless, not always dishonest

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

cheat + on + [test/exam/partner]

cheat + at + [game/card game]

cheat + someone + out of + something

Usage Note

Frequently used with 'on' before the thing that is being cheated on (a test, a partner) or 'at' before the activity (cards, a game). The transitive form 'cheat someone out of something' usually involves taking money or property through deception.

Common Mistakes

I cheated in the test by studying hard.
I cheated on the test by copying from my friend.
'Cheat on' is the standard pattern for exams and tests, and cheating always involves dishonesty, not simply working hard.
She cheated me.' (when meaning she was unfaithful)
She cheated on me.
For romantic unfaithfulness, the phrasal pattern is 'cheat on someone', not the bare transitive.

2. to manage to avoid something dangerous, unpleasant, or unwanted, often in a way

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to manage to avoid something dangerous, unpleasant, or unwanted, often in a way that is clever or lucky — for example, cheating death when a car barely misses you, or cheating boredom by finding a creative way to pass the time

Example

A cyclist cheated death when a truck missed him by only a few centimetres.

cheat death — fixed expression for narrowly avoiding fatal danger

Pedro cheated the cold weather by wearing three layers of clothing and a thick scarf.

Common collocations
  • cheat death
  • cheat old age
  • cheat boredom
  • cheat the system
Synonyms
  • avoid

    general term, no connotation of cleverness or lucky escape

  • escape

    similar but without the sense of cunning or rule-breaking

  • dodge

    informal, suggests quick physical or mental avoidance

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

cheat + [death/old age/boredom/the system]

Usage Note

Most common in fixed expressions such as 'cheat death' (escape a life-threatening situation) and 'cheat old age' (stay active despite being old). The object is always something negative that one hopes to avoid. This sense is idiomatic and often used in storytelling or journalism.

Common Mistakes

He cheated the accident by driving carefully.
He cheated death when the tree fell right behind his car.
'Cheat death' is a fixed expression; you cannot use this sense with ordinary nouns like 'accident'. Use 'avoid' or 'escape' instead.

cheat — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Deceive is the broadest term — it simply means making someone believe something false, without necessarily involving rules or personal gain. Cheat implies breaking rules or using dishonesty to get an advantage, especially in games, exams, or business. Swindle is more specific, focusing on taking money or property through a planned deception. Trick can be playful or harmless, like a magic trick, while cheat always involves wrongdoing. Con (short for confidence trick) involves gaining someone's trust before deceiving them for financial gain. For example: she deceived her parents about her grades (could be a lie); he cheated on the exam (broke rules); they swindled investors out of millions (took money); the magician tricked the audience (playful, harmless); he conned elderly people into signing over their savings (gained trust first).

deceive ↗swindle ↗trick ↗con ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • cheat someone out of something
  • cheat on a test
  • cheat death

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchAnglo-NormanMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'cheat' comes from 'escheat', a legal term in medieval England. 'Escheat' referred to land that 'fell back' (from Old French 'escheoir', meaning 'to fall') to the lord when a tenant died without heirs. Over time, the idea of property being taken through a legal technicality developed into a general sense of dishonest taking. By the 1600s, 'cheat' had become the everyday word for deceiving or swindling someone.

First known use

1590

1590, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1 Noun