| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | fool, ridicule |
| Synonyms: | bamboozle*, banter, beguile, bother, cozen, delude, dupe, flimflam, fun*, gull, hoax, hoodwink, jape, jest, joke, jolly, josh, make fun of, make sport of, mock, pretend, rag, razz, rib, roast, spoof, tease, trick |
| Antonyms: | be serious |
| Main Entry: | lie |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | tell an untruth |
| Synonyms: | BS, be untruthful, bear false witness, beguile, break promise, bull*, con, concoct, deceive, delude, dissemble, dissimulate, distort, dupe*, equivocate, exaggerate, fabricate, fake, falsify, fib, forswear, frame, fudge, go back on, invent, make believe, malign, misguide, misinform, misinstruct, mislead, misrepresent, misspeak, misstate, overdraw, palter, perjure, pervert, phony, plant*, prevaricate, promote, put on*, put up a front, snow*, soft-soap, string along, victimize |
| Notes: | to lay is to place something; to lie is to recline |
| Antonyms: | be honest |
| Main Entry: | mislead |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | give someone the wrong idea, information |
| Synonyms: | bait, beguile, betray, bilk, bluff, bunk, cheat, cozen, deceive, defraud, delude, double-cross, dupe, enmesh, ensnare, entangle, entice, fool, fudge, gull, hoax, hoodwink*, hose, illude, inveigle, juggle, lead astray, lead on, lie, lure, misdirect, misguide, misinform, misrepresent, outwit, overreach, pervert, pull wool over eyes, put on*, rip off, rook, rope in, scam, seduce, shaft, snow*, take in, tempt, trick, victimize |
| Antonyms: | advise, counsel, guard, lead, protect |
| Main Entry: | mock |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | deceive |
| Synonyms: | beguile, belie, betray, challenge, cheat, defeat, defy, delude, disappoint, double-cross, dupe, elude, foil, fool, frustrate, juggle, let down*, mislead, sell out, thwart |
| Antonyms: | tell truth |
| Main Entry: | outwit/outsmart |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | get the better of; figure out before another |
| Synonyms: | baffle, bamboozle*, beat*, bewilder, cap, cheat, circumvent, con*, confuse, deceive, defeat, defraud, dupe, end-run, fake out, finagle, fox*, goose, gull, have*, hoax, hoodwink, lead astray, make a fool of, make a monkey of, mislead, outdo, outfox, outgeneral, outguess, outjockey, outmaneuver, outthink, overreach, pull a fast one on, put one over on, run circles around, swindle, take in*, top*, trick, worst* |
| Main Entry: | patsy |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | fall guy |
| Synonyms: | boob*, chump, doormat, dupe, easy mark, fool, goat, gull, pigeon, pushover, sap*, scapegoat, schmuck, sitting duck, stooge, sucker, victim, weakling |
| Main Entry: | pawn |
| Part of Speech: | noun |
| Definition: | person who is a fool |
| Synonyms: | creature, dupe*, instrument, mark*, patsy, pigeon, puppet, stooge, sucker, tool, toy, victim |
| Main Entry: | play dirty |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | cheat |
| Synonyms: | bamboozle*, beguile, bend the rules, bilk, burn, caboodle, chisel, con, deceive, defraud, do a number on, double-cross, double-deal, dupe, finagle, fleece, flimflam, fudge, hit below the belt, hoodwink, hose, mislead, pull something funny, rip off, rook, sandbag, scam, screw, shaft, stack the cards, stretch the rules, sucker, swindle, trick, victimize |
| Main Entry: | pretend |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | fake, falsify |
| Synonyms: | act, affect, allege, assume, be deceitful, be hypocritical, beguile, bluff, cheat, claim, claim falsely, counterfeit, cozen, deceive, delude, dissemble, dissimulate, dupe, fake out, feign, fish*, fool, fudge, hoodwink*, impersonate, jazz, jive, lay claim, let on, make out, malinger, masquerade, mislead, pass off, pass oneself off as, profess, purport, put on*, put up a front, sham*, shuck and jive, simulate, stonewall, sucker, whitewash |
| Notes: | portend means to indicate (events, misfortunes, etc.) as in future or to foreshadow or to bode; pretend means to make believe with the intent to deceive or to give a false appearance of |
| Antonyms: | tell truth |