Dictionary
cheat
Pronunciation: (chēt), [key]—
v.t.
1. to defraud; swindle:
He cheated her out of her inheritance.
2. to deceive; influence by fraud:
He cheated us into believing him a hero.
3. to elude; deprive of something expected:
He cheated the law by suicide.
—
v.i.
1. to practice fraud or deceit:
She cheats without regrets.
2. to violate rules or regulations:
He cheats at cards.
3. to take an examination or test in a dishonest way, as by improper access to answers.
4. Informal.to be sexually unfaithful (often fol. by
on):
Her husband knew she had been cheating all along. He cheated on his wife.
—
n.
1. a person who acts dishonestly, deceives, or defrauds:
He is a cheat and a liar.
2. a fraud; swindle; deception:
The game was a cheat.
3. Law.the fraudulent obtaining of another's property by a pretense or trick.
4. an impostor:
The man who passed as an earl was a cheat. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.