cheating
cheating — verb
- cheatingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- cheatings3rd person singular
- cheatinging-ing form
- cheatingedpast simple
1. the present participle form used when someone breaks rules or tricks others to g
the present participle form used when someone breaks rules or tricks others to gain an unfair advantage in tests, games, business deals, or similar situations
The teacher caught Kenji cheating during the geography exam by looking at his neighbour's answers.
cheating during + [event/test] for breaking exam rules
Several investors lost their savings after the broker spent years cheating clients out of their pension money.
cheating [someone] out of [object] for fraudulently taking
Trang refused to play cards with her brother again because he kept cheating in every single round.
The auditors discovered the company had been cheating on its tax returns for nearly a decade.
Heloísa felt guilty about cheating at the chess tournament and apologised to her opponent the next day.
- deceiving
broader; any kind of misleading, not only for unfair gain
- swindling
specifically tricking someone out of money or property
- defrauding
formal/legal; obtaining something through deliberate fraud
- playing fair
following the rules honestly
文法句型
cheat (someone)
cheat on (a test / a person)
用法筆記
Object is typically something the cheater should follow honestly: rules, a person who trusts them, an institution (exam, tax authority). Distinguish from sense 2, which is specifically about romantic partners.
常見錯誤
2. the present participle form used when someone in a committed romantic relationsh
the present participle form used when someone in a committed romantic relationship secretly has sex or a romantic relationship with another person
Samir confessed that he had been cheating on his wife with a colleague for almost two years.
cheating on [partner] with [third party]
Yael moved out the morning she discovered her partner had been cheating during their long-distance engagement.
cheating during + [time/situation]
After three rounds of couples therapy, Reuben finally admitted to cheating throughout their marriage.
Many friends warned Élise that her boyfriend was cheating, but she refused to believe them until she saw the messages.
- being unfaithful
neutral, often used in formal contexts
- two-timing
informal; emphasises betraying two partners at once
- being faithful
staying loyal to one partner
文法句型
cheat on (a partner)
cheat (intransitive)
用法筆記
Almost always informal. Object after 'on' is the partner being betrayed, not the third party — say 'cheating on Anna with Mark', never 'cheating Anna'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is exclusively about romantic partners, not exams or games.
常見錯誤
cheating — noun
1. the activity of breaking rules or lying so that you gain an unfair advantage ove
the activity of breaking rules or lying so that you gain an unfair advantage over other people in tests, games, business, or other organised situations
The university expelled three students last semester for serious cheating during the final maths exam.
cheating during [event]; uncountable use
Online cheating in chess tournaments has become harder to detect since engines started running on phones.
[domain] + cheating; common topic frame
Aaron lost his coaching licence after the federation found clear evidence of cheating in the qualifying matches.
Amihan reported the cheating to the head teacher even though the other students begged her to stay quiet.
The new accounting software made cheating on expense claims almost impossible for the sales team.
- fraud
more formal/legal; usually involves money or contracts
- dishonesty
broader; covers lying generally, not only for unfair gain
- fair play
honest competition
文法句型
[no article] cheating
accusation of cheating
用法筆記
Uncountable in almost all uses — say 'a lot of cheating' or 'evidence of cheating', not 'a cheating' or 'two cheatings'. Distinguish from sense 2 (a person) and sense 3 (game shortcuts code).
常見錯誤
2. (rare, dated) someone who repeatedly breaks rules or tricks other people to win
(rare, dated) someone who repeatedly breaks rules or tricks other people to win games, pass tests, or take what does not belong to them
Mert was branded a cheating after the league reviewed the footage of his rigged darts match.
branded a + cheating; agent-noun use
Older novels sometimes call a card swindler a cheating, though today most readers would say 'cheat' or 'cheater'.
metalinguistic register note on the dated agent-noun use
The village elders refused to do business with Christopher, whom everyone knew as a cheating.
Renata grew up hearing her grandmother call any dishonest shopkeeper a cheating in old-fashioned English.
文法句型
a cheating
the cheating
用法筆記
Almost never used in modern English — 'cheat' or 'cheater' is the natural choice. Included here because some Taiwan EFL source dictionaries still list it. Distinguish from sense 1 (the activity) by countability: 'a cheating' = person, '(no article) cheating' = activity.
常見錯誤
3. a set of instructions, button presses, or codes that a player uses to unlock hid
a set of instructions, button presses, or codes that a player uses to unlock hidden features, skip hard sections, or gain bonus items while playing a video game
Sade looked up a cheating online before fighting the final boss in the latest action game.
look up + a cheating; game context
The forum was full of cheatings that gave players unlimited gold in the simulation game.
cheatings + that gave [players] [item]
Ryan refused to share the cheating because he wanted to finish the puzzle game without any help.
Many speedrunners avoid cheatings because they want their record runs to count in the official rankings.
- cheat code
the standard modern term in gaming
- hack
informal; broader, may include software modifications
文法句型
a cheating
cheatings for [game]
用法筆記
More commonly called a 'cheat code' or just 'a cheat' in everyday gaming English. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is countable and refers to a concrete code or trick, not the general activity.