ENGLISH
REFERENCE

cheat

n. countable
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈtʃit// UK //tʃˈiːt// cheat Archaic General-service Informal

n. a person who acts in a dishonest way to win a game or get an advantage. You can also use this for a trick or a shortcut that makes a task easier.

n. a person who behaves dishonestly or violates rules to gain an advantage. In informal contexts, it refers to a shortcut or method used to bypass standard procedures.


SIMPLE

He is a cheat who always hides cards during the game.

CONTEXTUAL

The teacher caught the student using a cheat sheet during the final exam.

COMPLEX

While some view the new software shortcut as a clever efficiency, traditionalists argue it is a cheat that undermines the skill required for the craft.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English acheten, variant of escheten, from Old French escheoiter, from the noun (see below). Displaced native Old English beswīcan.

Etymology 2

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”).

Etymology 3

Inherited from Middle English chet (“low-quality bread”), of unknown origin; compare manchet.

Usage

Often used with 'at' to specify the activity, such as 'a cheat at cards'.

Pitfall

He is a cheating.He is a cheat.Learners often use the gerund 'cheating' when they need the person-noun 'cheat'.

Idioms2 entries

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