trick
/trɪk/ (bre, ipa) · /trɪk/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈtrik/ (ame, mw)
trick — noun
- tricksingular
- tricksplural
1. an action or remark meant to cheat someone, make them look silly, or amuse peopl
an action or remark meant to cheat someone, make them look silly, or amuse people as a form of entertainment.
The email was a trick to get people to share their bank details.
collocation: a trick to [do something]
Minho played a funny trick on his brother by hiding his phone.
Saira realized the offer was just a trick and did not sign the paper.
The children laughed when their little trick fooled the teacher for a moment.
Mert's card trick amazed everyone at the party, even though it was simple.
用法筆記
Often paired with the verb play: play a trick on someone. Also common in fixed compounds such as card trick and magic trick.
常見錯誤
2. a strange visual result produced when light, colour, or pattern makes your eyes
a strange visual result produced when light, colour, or pattern makes your eyes see something differently from what it really is.
The lines in the drawing create an optical trick that makes them look bent.
collocation: optical trick
Isabela thought she saw water on the road, but it was a trick of the light.
collocation: a trick of the light
The magician used mirrors to create a visual trick for the audience.
A colour trick happens in your eyes when you stare at the bright pattern too long.
- optical illusion
the standard term for this phenomenon; trick is more informal
- visual illusion
slightly more formal, used in scientific contexts
用法筆記
Fixed phrase a trick of the light is very common. This sense is almost never used with the verb play.
3. the first word of the phrase 'trick or treat', which children call out at Hallow
the first word of the phrase 'trick or treat', which children call out at Halloween when they go from house to house asking for sweets and suggesting they might play a prank if they do not get any.
The children knocked on every door and shouted 'trick or treat!'
fixed phrase: trick or treat
Seven-year-old Camille called out 'trick or treat!' with a big grin, holding a glowing pumpkin bucket.
fixed phrase: trick or treat in a Halloween scene
Lien dressed as a cat and went trick-or-treating with her friends all evening.
A group of children went trick-or-treating on our street, their faces painted like spooky creatures.
用法筆記
Almost always used in the fixed expression trick or treat during Halloween. The hyphenated form trick-or-treat functions as a verb or an adjective.
常見錯誤
4. a clever method that saves time, effort, or money, often gained through experien
a clever method that saves time, effort, or money, often gained through experience.
Femi showed me a good trick for peeling garlic in just a few seconds.
collocation: a trick for [doing something]
The trick to making fluffy rice is to wash it before cooking.
collocation: the trick to [doing something]
Mira learned several cooking tricks from her grandmother over the years.
A useful trick is to keep your keys in the same spot every day.
Owen taught me the trick of folding shirts so they take up less space.
用法筆記
Common patterns: trick for + -ing, trick to + -ing, and the trick of + -ing. The definite article the is often used when the method is considered the best or only one.
常見錯誤
5. a paid sexual service that a sex worker provides to a client.
a paid sexual service that a sex worker provides to a client.
The documentary interviewed several women about their experiences turning tricks.
slang: turn tricks
Lakshmi turned a trick near the bus depot so she could afford a meal that night.
slang: turn a trick with purpose clause
Some former sex workers now campaign for the rights of those still turning tricks.
Her research focused on the health risks faced by women who turn tricks in the city.
用法筆記
Slang term, only used in contexts related to sex work. Almost always appears in the phrase turn tricks. Not appropriate for general conversation.
6. a person who gives a sex worker money in exchange for sex, or a casual sexual pa
a person who gives a sex worker money in exchange for sex, or a casual sexual partner outside a romantic relationship.
The sex worker told the police that her trick had become aggressive.
slang: trick = paying customer
Shirin waited on the street corner for a trick to approach her.
The undercover officer pretended to be a trick looking for a sex worker.
Most tricks pay in cash and refuse to give their real names.
用法筆記
Slang term used in the context of sex work. Refers to the customer, not the worker. Use with caution; many learners will not encounter this sense.
7. all the cards placed on the table during a single turn of play in games such as
all the cards placed on the table during a single turn of play in games such as bridge, counted toward the score.
Rafael won three tricks in a row and took the lead in the game.
collocation: win a trick
In bridge, each trick contains four cards, one from each player.
Counting your tricks helps you keep the score during the round.
Jin plays carefully, counting every trick before deciding his next move.
用法筆記
Technical term used in many card games such as bridge, spades, and whist. The expression 'take a trick' means to win a round.
trick — verb
- trickpresent simple I / you / we / they
- tricks3rd person singular
- tricking-ing form
- trickedpast simple
1. to cause someone to believe something untrue, usually so that you can get what y
to cause someone to believe something untrue, usually so that you can get what you want from them.
The salesman tried to trick Greta into buying a broken laptop.
pattern: trick [someone] into [doing something]
Élise felt angry when she realized her friend had tricked her.
Do not let the simple design trick you into thinking it is easy to build.
The children tricked their parents by saying they had finished their homework.
Andrew was tricked out of his savings by a fake investment company.
- undeceive
formal and rare; to tell someone the truth after they have been tricked
文法句型
trick + object
trick + object + into + -ing
用法筆記
Most common patterns: trick someone into doing something (deceive to cause an action) and trick someone out of something (deceive to take something away). The simple transitive form (trick someone) is also common.
常見錯誤
trick — adjective
- trickpositive
- trickercomparative
- trickestsuperlative
1. made or meant to fool people, whether for a joke or to cause them to believe som
made or meant to fool people, whether for a joke or to cause them to believe something wrong.
The test looked simple, but the first two questions were trick questions.
collocation: trick question
Dewi bought a trick candle that would not go out when she blew on it.
collocation: trick candle
The store sold trick mirrors that make the person in them look taller.
Reema laughed at the trick pen that gave a small shock when you tried to write with it.
- deceptive
can be used predicatively; broader, covering any kind of misleading appearance
文法句型
trick + noun
用法筆記
Attributive only — always placed before the noun it describes (trick candle, not *the candle is trick). Do not confuse with tricky, which means 'difficult, requiring skill or care'.
常見錯誤
2. relating to a body part, usually a joint, that can unexpectedly lose strength or
relating to a body part, usually a joint, that can unexpectedly lose strength or become painful.
Minho's trick knee sometimes gives out when he walks down stairs.
collocation: trick knee
The runner had to stop because her trick ankle suddenly hurt during the race.
collocation: trick ankle
My grandfather's trick shoulder has bothered him for many years.
Charlotte's trick wrist sometimes locks up when she tries to write.
- unreliable
broader; can describe machines or people, not just body parts
文法句型
trick + body part
用法筆記
Almost always used with specific body parts. The most common combinations are trick knee and trick ankle. Attributive only — not used after the verb be.