Essay
cheat ( P ) Pronunciation Key (cht) v. cheat·ed, cheat·ing, cheats v. tr. To deceive by trickery; swindle: cheated customers by overcharging them for purchases. To deprive by trickery; defraud: cheated them of their land. To mislead; fool: illusions that cheat the eye. To elude; escape: cheat death. v. intr. To act dishonestly; practice fraud. To violate rules deliberately, as in a game: was accused of cheating at cards. Informal. To be sexually unfaithful: cheat on a spouse. n. An act of cheating; a fraud or swindle. One who cheats; a swindler. Law. Fraudulent acquisition of another's property. Botany. An annual European species of brome grass (Bromus secalinus) widely naturalized in temperate regions. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Middle English cheten, to confiscate, short for acheten, variant of escheten, from eschete, escheat. See escheat.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- cheater n. [Buy it] Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. cheat Cheat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cheated; p. pr. & vb. n. Cheating.] [See Cheat, n., Escheat.] 1.