From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcheatcheat1 /tʃiːt/ ●●○ S3 verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]CHEAT to behave in a dishonest way in order to win or to get an advantage, especially in a competition, game, or examination He had cheated in the test by using a calculator. Don’t look at my cards – that’s cheating.cheat at She claimed that I cheated at chess.2 [transitive]TRICK/DECEIVE to trick or deceive someone so that they do not get or keep something they have a right to have Illegal workers are often cheated by employers.cheat somebody (out) of something She cheated her aged aunt out of her fortune.3 → feel cheated4 → cheat death/fate etc5 → be cheated of victory/success etcTHESAURUS – Meaning 2: to trick or deceive someone so that they do not get or keep something they have a right to haveto get money or possessions dishonestly from someonecheat to deceive someone so that they do not get or keep something they have a right toHe used his charm to cheat the old lady out of everything he could get.He’s afraid they’ll cheat him after he hands over the money.con informal to get money from someone by telling them liesThey conned her into spending thousands of pounds on useless equipment.He conned money out of the public by pretending to collect for charity. swindle to get money from a person or organization by cheating them in a clever wayThe painting has been stolen and the art gallery has been swindled out of a large sum of money.A City businessman who swindled investors out of millions of pounds was jailed for four years. defraud to commit the crime of getting money from an organization by deceiving themHe admitted attempting to defraud his former employer of $1 million.Johnson is accused of conspiring to defraud the taxman of hundreds of thousands of pounds.do somebody out of something informal especially British English to dishonestly stop someone from getting or keeping something, especially something they have a right to haveThey’ve done me out of three weeks wages! → cheat on somebody→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
cheat• Studies indicate about 20 to 30 percent of college students cheat.• He showed me how to cheat.• Cohen claimed that criminals posing as salesmen cheat Americans out of billions of dollars each year.• The movie's young heroine lies, cheats, and steals to get what she wants.• The games end in a brawl between the jongleur, who feels he is being cheated, and the saint.• Please try and be really strong tonight and don't cheat at all.• Jenny always cheats at cards.• He doesn't trust car mechanics -- he thinks they're all trying to cheat him.• He had cheated his clients by selling them worthless stocks.• She says she was cheated out of $10,000 she paid to a modeling agency.• She was cheated out of last night, and though she does not know it she is going to lose tomorrow night too.• Fong was more worried about being cheated than he was about making money.that’s cheating• You can't look at the cards, that's cheating.cheat somebody (out) of something• And he said there was now further evidence to discredit a principal witness in the case as a liar and a cheat.• The Republicans, still angered by the Bridgeport opportunism that cheated them of a seat, made Daley suffer for it.• The airline's been accused of cheating its customers out of free bonus flights.• She smoothed that, Before gutting-yet she would rather Sicken herself, than cheat my father Of his jugged hare.• He has received death threats after cheating hundreds of innocent people.• Everywhere you turn these days some one is trying to cheat us out of something.• Half the time the government cheat them out of that.• The workers accused the researchers of trying to confuse them and possibly cheat them out of their bonuses.cheatcheat2 ●●○ noun [countable] 1 CHEATsomeone who is dishonest and cheats His addiction has turned him into a cheat and a liar.2 → a cheat3 a set of instructions given to a computer that make it easier for someone who is playing a computer game to winExamples from the Corpus
cheat• I'll never play cards with you again, you cheater!• And he said there was now further evidence to discredit a principal witness in the case as a liar and a cheat.• Don't pretend you can't afford to pay me that money back -- you're nothing but a cheat and a liar!• Priestley's warning was that it was essentially a cheat.• He presented himself as a liar, a cheat.• In other words, shortcut and cheat books.• My grandmother thinks all car salesmen are cheats.• Their teacher suspected them of cheating when they both missed the same question on the test.• The disk also contains secret cheat codes to provide additional ammunition and level skip features.• The law is aimed at catching tax cheats.• This is what the cheat sheet said: 1.From Longman Business Dictionarycheatcheat /tʃiːt/ verb [intransitive, transitive] to deceive someone, break rules, or behave dishonestly, especially in order to make money for yourselfNot all publishers want to cheat authors.There are stiff penalties for stockbrokers who cheat customers.cheat on somethingThese new rules could lead more people to cheat on their taxes.cheat somebody out of somethingHe accused his employer of deliberately trying to cheat him out of his redundancy money. —cheating noun [uncountable]Auditors will check the information for any patterns that might indicate cheating by floor traders.→ See Verb tableOrigin cheat1 (1500-1600) cheat “legal removal of someone's property” ((14-17 centuries)), from escheat 