De*ceive" (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Deceived (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Deceiving.] [OE. deceveir, F. décevoir,
fr. L. decipere to catch, insnare, deceive; de- +
capere to take, catch. See Capable, and cf.
Deceit, Deception.] 1. To lead
into error; to cause to believe what is false, or disbelieve what is
true; to impose upon; to mislead; to cheat; to disappoint; to delude;
to insnare.
Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived.
2 Tim.
iii. 13.
Nimble jugglers that deceive the
eye.
Shak.
What can 'scape the eye
Of God all-seeing, or deceive his heart?
Milton.
2. To beguile; to amuse, so as to divert the
attention; to while away; to take away as if by deception.
These occupations oftentimes deceived
The listless hour.
Wordsworth.
3. To deprive by fraud or stealth; to
defraud. [Obs.]
Plant fruit trees in large borders, and set therein
fine flowers, but thin and sparingly, lest they deceive the
trees.
Bacon.
Syn. -- Deceive, Delude, Mislead.
Deceive is a general word applicable to any kind of
misrepresentation affecting faith or life. To delude,
primarily, is to make sport of, by deceiving, and is accomplished by
playing upon one's imagination or credulity, as by exciting false
hopes, causing him to undertake or expect what is impracticable, and
making his failure ridiculous. It implies some infirmity of judgment
in the victim, and intention to deceive in the deluder. But it is
often used reflexively, indicating that a person's own weakness has
made him the sport of others or of fortune; as, he deluded
himself with a belief that luck would always favor him. To
mislead is to lead, guide, or direct in a wrong way, either
willfully or ignorantly.
