To deceive means to make someone believe something that isn't true. When you deceive someone, you're deliberately misleading them, either by lying directly or by hiding important information. A magician deceives the audience into thinking a coin has vanished, but that's entertainment everyone expects.

If a student deceives their parents about finishing homework when they haven't, or if someone deceives a friend by pretending to like them while talking badly behind their back, they're acting dishonestly in ways that hurt relationships. A deceiver is someone who practices deception.

Deception can range from small fibs to serious fraud. A store that deceives customers about product quality might face legal trouble. A person who deceives others in business deals destroys their reputation. The word deceptive describes something misleading: a deceptive advertisement makes a product seem better than it really is, or a calm ocean surface might be deceptive if dangerous currents lurk below.

The phrase deceive yourself means fooling yourself into believing something you know isn't quite true, like thinking you're prepared for a test when you barely studied. Once people discover you've deceived them, rebuilding their trust becomes extremely difficult.