Fool - Deceive - Betray - Take in - Trick - Con
These words all mean to make sb believe sth that is not true, especially in order to get what you want.
Cheat to make sb believe sth that is not true, in order to get money or sth else from them: She is accused of attempting to cheat the taxman. | He cheated his way into the job. Cheat also means to act in a dishonest way in order to gain an advantage, especially in a game, competition or exam: You’re not allowed to look at the answers— that’s cheating.
Fool to make sb believe sth that is not true, especially in order to laugh at them or to get what you want: Just don’t be fooled into investing any money with them.
Deceive to make sb believe sth that is not true, especially sb who trusts you, in order to get what you want: She deceived him into handing over all his savings.
Betray to hurt sb who trusts you, especially by deceiving them or not being loyal to them: She felt betrayed when she found out the truth about him.
Take sb in (often passive) to deceive sb, usually in order to get what you want: I was taken in by her story.
Trick to deceive sb, especially in a clever way, in order to get what you want.
Con (informal) to deceive sb, especially in order to get money from them or get them to do sth for you: They had been conned out of £100 000.
WHICH WORD?
Many of these words involve making sb believe sth that is not true, but some of them are more disapproving than others. Deceive is probably the worst because people typically deceive friends, relations and others who know and trust them. People may feel cheated/betrayed by sb in authority who they trusted to look after their interests. If sb takes you in, they may do it by acting a part and using words and charm effectively. If sb cheats/fools/tricks/cons you, they may get sth from you and make you feel stupid. However, sb might fool you just as a joke; and to trick sb is sometimes seen as a clever thing to do, if the person being tricked is seen as a bad person who deserves it.
PATTERNS
*to cheat/fool/trick/con sb out of sth
*to cheat/fool/deceive/betray/trick/con sb into doing sth
*to feel cheated/fooled/deceived/betrayed/tricked/ conned
*to fool/deceive yourself
*to cheat/trick/con your way into sth
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Top Tips Abz Ingles - Notes on usage - Synonyms
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