ENGLISH
REFERENCE

cheated

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈtʃitəd// UK //tʃˈiːtɪd// cheat·ed

v. to act in a dishonest way to get what you want, especially in a game or an exam. It also means to be unfaithful to a romantic partner by having a secret relationship with someone else.

v. to act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage; to practice fraud or deceit. Also used to describe the act of being sexually unfaithful to a spouse or partner.


SIMPLE

He cheated on the math test by looking at his notes.

CONTEXTUAL

The athlete was stripped of her gold medal after officials discovered she had cheated by using banned substances.

COMPLEX

While some argue that the system is rigged, others maintain that those who cheated to reach the top have undermined the very meritocracy they claim to represent.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is intransitive when describing general behavior, but takes the preposition 'on' when referring to a partner or a specific task.

Pitfall

he cheated the examhe cheated on the examWhen referring to a specific test or partner, the verb requires the preposition 'on'.

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