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# deception

noun (deception, uncountable; a deception, deceptions)

«deception» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Making someone believe something that is not true; tricking or lying. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deception/#m1)
2. A trick or lie that fools someone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deception/#m2)

### In the lessons

In safety: scams use deception, such as fake messages or fake prizes; check before you trust. In stories: villains use deception; in nature, animals use deception (camouflage, playing dead). Formal: «obtained by deception».

### Examples

- The thief got in by deception, pretending to be a plumber. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deception/#x1)
- Camouflage is a kind of deception in nature. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deception/#x2)
- The magician's trick was clever deception. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deception/#x3)
- Online scams depend on deception. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deception/#x4)
- Her friendly smile was a deception. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deception/#x5)
- The fox used deception to trick the crow. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deception/#x6)
- By their advice she wrapped a stone in baby-clothes, and Cronus, in eager haste, swallowed it, without noticing the deception. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deception/#x7)

### Note

Verb: deceive (spelling: e before i after c). Adjective: deceptive (looks different from how it really is — «Appearances can be deceptive»). Uncountable for the act, countable for a single trick.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «deception» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/D/deception/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«deception» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/deception.html) on Mova free.