trick Meaning & Definition
What Does Trick Mean?
Trick is used as a noun meaning Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. It can also mean A single element of a magician's (or any variety entertainer's) act; a magic trick. As a verb, it means To fool; to cause to believe something untrue; to deceive. As an adjective, it means Involving trickery or deception.
Word Facts for Trick
| Part of speech | noun, verb, adjective |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈtɹɪk/ |
| Synonyms | legerdemain, deception and antic |
| Antonyms | maladroit |
| Plural | tricks |
| Comparative / superlative | tricker, trickest |
| Verb forms | tricks, tricking, tricked |
Trick Definition (Noun)
- Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle.
It was just a trick to say that the house was underpriced.
- A single element of a magician's (or any variety entertainer's) act; a magic trick.
And for my next trick, I will pull a wombat out of a duffel bag.
- An entertaining difficult physical action.
That's a nice skateboard, but can you do any tricks on it?
- An effective, clever or quick way of doing something.
tricks of the trade; what's the trick of getting this chair to fold up?
- Mischievous or annoying behavior; a prank.
the tricks of boys
- A particular habit or manner; a peculiarity; a trait.
a trick of drumming with the fingers; a trick of frowning
- A knot, braid, or plait of hair.
- A sequence in which each player plays a card and a winning play is determined.
I was able to take the second trick with the queen of hearts.
- A sex act, chiefly one performed for payment; an act of prostitution.
turn a trick
- A customer or client of a prostitute.
As the businessman rounded the corner, she thought, "Here comes another trick."
- A term of abuse.
- A daily period of work, especially in shift-based jobs.
- A sailor's spell of work at the helm, usually two hours long.
- A toy; a trifle; a plaything.
- A representation of arms that is drawn as an outline with labels to indicate colors.
Trick as a Verb
- To fool; to cause to believe something untrue; to deceive.
You tried to trick me when you said that house was underpriced.
- To draw (as contrasted with to blazon, which is to describe in words).
- To dress; to decorate; to adorn fantastically; often followed by up, off, or out.
- To engage in prostitution or casual sex.
Trick as an Adjective
- Involving trickery or deception.
trick photography
- Able to perform tricks.
a trick pony
- Defective or unreliable.
a trick knee
- Stylish or cool.
Wow, your new sports car is so trick.
Noun
- Something designed to fool or swindle.
It was just a trick to say that the house was underpriced.
- A customer to a prostitute.
As the businessman rounded the corner, she thought, "Here comes another trick."
Verb
- To draw (as opposed to blazon - to describe in words).
Synonyms of Trick
Antonyms of Trick
Trick in a Sentence
It was just a trick to say that the house was underpriced.
He played a trick on his sister as April Fool's Day.
And for my next trick, I will pull a wombat out of a duffel bag.
That's a nice skateboard, but can you do any tricks on it?
tricks of the trade; what's the trick of getting this chair to fold up?
the tricks of boys
They played a crude trick on the teacher.
a trick of drumming with the fingers; a trick of frowning
I was able to take the second trick with the queen of hearts.
turn a trick
turn tricks
As the businessman rounded the corner, she thought, "Here comes another trick."
You tried to trick me when you said that house was underpriced.
I was once tricked into believing I had left my phone in the locker.
trick photography
a trick pony
a trick knee
Wow, your new sports car is so trick.
A trick pony
Wow, your new sportscar is so trick.
Word Forms & Grammar
trick (plural tricks)
trick (third-person singular simple present tricks, present participle tricking, simple past and past participle tricked)
trick (comparative tricker, superlative trickest)
Words That Rhyme With Trick
Origin of Trick
Origin 1: From Middle English trikke, from Old Northern French trique (related to Old French trichier (“to defraud, act dishonestly, conceal, deceive, cheat”); > modern French tricher), itself possibly from Middle High German trechen (“to launch a shot at, play a trick on”), or one of its derivatives (e.g. Middle High German ūftrechen (“to do something to someone, hurt someone”), vertrechen (“to conceal, get over on someone”), zuotrechen (“to obtain falsely or deceitfully, wangle, finagle”), etc.); yet the Old French verb is equally likely to be derived from Vulgar Latin *triccāre, from Late Latin tricāre, from Latin trīcor, trīcārī (“dodge, search for detours; haggle, quibble”).
Origin 2: The term has been connected to Middle Dutch treck, trec (“draw, line, desire, game move, cord, stratagem, ruse, trick”), from Middle Dutch trekken, trēken (“to pull, place, put, move”), from Old Dutch *trekken, *trekan (“to move, drag”), from Proto-Germanic *trakjaną, *trekaną (“to drag, scrape, pull”), from Proto-Indo-European *dreg- (“to drag, scrape”). If they are related, trick would be cognate with Low German trekken, Middle High German trecken, trechen, Danish trække, and Old Frisian trekka, Romanian truc and other Romance languages.
Origin 3: Compare track, treachery, trig, and trigger.
Common Questions About Trick
Is trick a noun or a verb?
Trick is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb and an adjective.
What is another word for trick?
You can replace trick with words such as legerdemain, deception and antic. See the full list of trick synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of trick?
The opposite of trick is maladroit.
What is the plural of trick?
The plural of trick is tricks.
What is the past tense of trick?
The past tense of trick is tricked. The present participle is tricking.