/t͡ʃiːt/
OriginInherited from Middle English acheten, variant of escheten, from Old French escheoiter, from the noun (see below). Displaced native Old English beswīcan.
- intransitiveTo violate rules in order to gain, or attempt to gain, advantage from a situation.
“My brother flunked biology because he cheated on his mid-term.”
- intransitiveTo be unfaithful to one's spouse or partner; to commit adultery, or to engage in sexual or romantic conduct with a person other than one's partner in contravention of the rules of society or agreement in the relationship.
“My husband cheated on me with his secretary.”
“After he found out his wife cheated, he left her.”
“While the nonavoidant passive-aggressive cheats for the sexual gratification and tries to disguise his or her cheating afterwards, in contrast, the passive-aggressive avoidant cheats less for the sex ”
- transitiveTo avoid a seemingly inevitable thing.
“He cheated death when his car collided with a moving train.”
“I feel as if I've cheated fate.”
- transitiveTo deceive; to fool; to trick.
“My ex-wife cheated me out of $40,000.”
“He cheated his way into office.”
“I am subject to a tyrant, a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of this island.”
- informal, intransitiveTo disregard self-imposed restrictions or commitments in favour of resting or indulging oneself.
- countableAn act of deception or fraud; that which is the means of fraud or deception.
“When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat.”
- countableSomeone who cheats.
“And he smote Corinius on his shaven jowl with the dice box, calling him cheat and mangy rascal, whereupon Corinius drew forth a bodkin to smite him in the neck withal; but some went betwixt them, and ”
“The caseworker couldn't understand how I could have stretched out my last bit of money for so long. She seemed convinced that I was "hiding" income from her and interrogated me for I don't know how lo”
- uncountableThe weed cheatgrass.
- uncountableA card game where the goal is to have no cards remaining in a hand, often by telling lies.
- countableA hidden means of gaining an unfair advantage in a video game, often by entering a cheat code.
“I've had a number of requests for a cheat for Turrican the first. Yes, there is a keypress built in […]”
“Unpause the game, then repause the game and enter any of the following cheats: […]”
- obsolete, uncountableA sort of low-quality bread.
“The raueled cheat therfore is generallie ſo made that out of one buſhell of meale, after two and twentie pounds of bran be ſifted and taken from it (wherevnto they ad the gurgeons that riſe from the m”
“Takes part with them, at ſhore: their pureſt cheat, / Thrice boulted, kneaded, and ſubdu'd in paſt[…]”
“Where by the way note, that loaves made of pure Wheaten Meal require both more Leaven and more labouring, and more baking than either coarſe Cheat or than Bread Mingled of Meal and Grudgins.”
Formscheats(present, singular, third-person) · cheating(participle, present) · cheated(participle, past) · cheated(past) · cheats(plural)