cheat Meaning & Definition
What Does Cheat Mean?
Cheat is a verb that means To violate rules in order to gain, or attempt to gain, advantage from a situation. It can also mean To 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. As a noun, it means An act of deception or fraud; that which is the means of fraud or deception. As a noun, it means A sort of low-quality bread.
Cheat: Key Facts
| Part of speech | verb, noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | //ˈt͡ʃiːt// |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | beat, swindle and chicane |
| Plural | cheats |
| Verb forms | cheats, cheating, cheated |
Cheat Definition (Verb)
- To 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.
- To 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.
- To avoid a seemingly inevitable thing.
He cheated death when his car collided with a moving train.
- To deceive; to fool; to trick.
My ex-wife cheated me out of $40,000.
- To disregard self-imposed restrictions or commitments in favour of resting or indulging oneself.
Cheat as a Noun
- An act of deception or fraud; that which is the means of fraud or deception.
- Someone who cheats.
- The weed cheatgrass.
- Synonym of bullshit (“a card game where the goal is to have no cards remaining in a hand, often by telling lies”).
- A hidden means of gaining an unfair advantage in a video game, often by entering a cheat code.
Noun
- A sort of low-quality bread.
Verb
- To violate rules in order to gain advantage from a situation.
My brother flunked biology because he cheated on his mid-term.
- To be unfaithful to one's spouse or partner.
After he found out his wife cheated, he left her.
- To manage to avoid something even though it seemed unlikely.
He cheated death when his car collided with a moving train.
Noun
- Someone who cheats (informal: cheater).
- An act of deception or fraud; that which is the means of fraud or deception; a fraud; a trick; imposition; imposture.
- A card game where the goal is to have no cards remaining in a hand, often by telling lies.
- A hidden means of gaining an unfair advantage in a computer game, often by entering a cheat code.
Synonyms of Cheat
Antonyms of Cheat
No antonyms or near antonyms are listed by the available sources for this entry.
Cheat in a Sentence
My brother flunked biology because he cheated on his mid-term.
My husband cheated on me with his secretary.
After he found out his wife cheated, he left her.
He cheated death when his car collided with a moving train.
I feel as if I've cheated fate.
My ex-wife cheated me out of $40,000.
He cheated his way into office.
Word Forms & Grammar
cheat (third-person singular simple present cheats, present participle cheating, simple past and past participle cheated)
cheat (countable and uncountable, plural cheats)
cheat (uncountable)
Words That Rhyme With Cheat
Origin of Cheat
Origin 1: Verb from Middle English achetan, variant of escheten, from Old French escheat, past participle of escheoir, escheoiter, from Late Latin *excadēre (“fall away, fall out”), from (Latin) ex- + cadere (“fall”). Displaced native Old English beswīcan.
Origin 2: Noun from verb and/or Middle English chete, aphetic form of achete, escheat, eschete (“the reversion of property to the state”), from Anglo-Norman eschete and Old French eschet, escheit, escheoit (“that which falls to one”), past participle of escheoir (“to fall”) (modern French échoir), from Late Latin *excadēre (“fall away, fall out”), from (Latin) ex- + cadere (“fall”).
Origin 3: Doublet of escheat.
Origin 4: Inherited from Middle English chet (“low-quality bread”), of unknown origin; compare manchet.
Pronouncing Cheat
Cheat is pronounced //ˈt͡ʃiːt// and has 1 syllable.
Questions People Ask About Cheat
Is cheat a verb or a noun?
Cheat is mainly used as a verb, but it can also be used as a noun.
What is another word for cheat?
You can replace cheat with words such as beat, swindle and chicane. See the full list of cheat synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of cheat?
The plural of cheat is cheats.
What is the past tense of cheat?
The past tense of cheat is cheated. The present participle is cheating.