Word
cheat
US/ˈtʃit/
UK/tʃˈiːt/
Definitions
01to break rules
B1 · Intermediate
v. to break the rules of a game, exam, or competition to win or get a better result.
v. to violate established rules or standards in order to gain an unfair advantage, particularly in academic or competitive contexts.
日本語:ずるをする※
“He was caught trying to cheat on the history exam by looking at his phone.”
“The athlete was stripped of her gold medal after officials discovered she had cheated by using banned substances during training.”
Usage
Often used with the preposition 'on' for exams or 'at' for games.
Pitfall
He cheated the exam.
He cheated on the exam.
When you break rules during a test, use the preposition 'on'.
Antonyms
02to be unfaithful
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to have a secret romantic relationship with someone who is not your husband, wife, or partner.
v. to engage in a sexual or romantic relationship with someone other than one's established partner in violation of a commitment.
“She decided to leave him after she found out he was cheating on her.”
“The tabloid newspapers were filled with rumours that the famous actor had been cheating on his spouse with a co-star.”
Usage
Usually takes the preposition 'on' followed by the partner's name.
Synonyms
Antonyms
03to avoid something bad
C1 · Advanced Literary
v. to narrowly avoid something bad that seemed certain to happen.
v. to escape or avoid a seemingly inevitable negative outcome through luck or skill.
“The driver cheated death when his car stopped just inches from the cliff edge.”
“The mountain climber has cheated death on several occasions, surviving avalanches and extreme equipment failures.”
Usage
Commonly found in the fixed idiom 'cheat death'.
Teaching tip
This is a more dramatic, literary use of the word; in everyday speech, 'narrowly escaped' is more common.
04a person who breaks rules
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun
n. a person who acts dishonestly to win or get an advantage.
n. a person who behaves dishonestly or violates rules for personal gain.
“Nobody wanted to play cards with him because he was a known cheat.”
“The committee labelled him a cheat and a fraud after the financial discrepancies were brought to light.”
05video game shortcut
B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Computing Informal
n. a secret code or trick used to make a video game easier.
n. a hidden command or programmed shortcut that allows a player to bypass standard game mechanics.
“I used a cheat to get infinite lives so I could finally finish the last level.”
“The developer included several cheats in the game's code to help testers navigate the environment more quickly.”
Usage
Often used as 'cheat code' or 'a cheat'.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “cheat” in context.
Verb
01. cheat at
“It is not fun to play board games with him because he always tries to cheat at cards.”
verb + prep
02. cheat in
“Several students were caught trying to cheat in the final exam.”
verb + prep
03. cheat on
“He admitted that he had cheated on his wife for several years.”
verb + prep
04. cheat death
“The mountain climber narrowly cheated death after a terrifying fall during the storm.”
05. cheat in an exam
“Anyone caught trying to cheat in an exam will be disqualified immediately.”
06. cheat on a partner
“She decided to leave him after she found out he was cheating on his partner.”
07. cheat out of
“The rogue landlord tried to cheat them out of their deposit.”
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English acheten, variant of escheten, from Old French escheoiter, from the noun (see below). Displaced native Old English beswīcan.
Inherited from Middle English chete, an aphetic form of eschete (“the reversion of property to the state”), from Old French eschet, escheit, escheoit (“that which falls to one”), from the past participle of escheoir (“to fall”) (modern French échoir), from Vulgar Latin *excadēre, from Latin ex- + cadere (“fall”).
Inherited from Middle English chet (“low-quality bread”), of unknown origin; compare manchet.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
Idioms
01. cheat on
02. cheat sheet
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B1 · IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0