Library / English Dictionary

TRICK

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

An illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers

Synonyms:

conjuration; conjuring trick; deception; illusion; legerdemain; magic; magic trick; thaumaturgy; trick

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("trick" is a kind of...):

performance (the act of presenting a play or a piece of music or other entertainment)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "trick"):

card trick (a trick performed with playing cards)

prestidigitation; sleight of hand (manual dexterity in the execution of tricks)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A cunning or deceitful action or device

Example:

he pulled a fast one and got away with it

Synonyms:

fast one; trick

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("trick" is a kind of...):

device; gimmick; twist (any clever maneuver)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "trick"):

schtick; schtik; shtick; shtik ((Yiddish) a devious trick; a bit of cheating)

Derivation:

trick (deceive somebody)

trickster (someone who leads you to believe something that is not true)

tricksy; tricky (marked by skill in deception)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement

Synonyms:

antic; caper; joke; prank; put-on; trick

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("trick" is a kind of...):

diversion; recreation (an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "trick"):

dirty trick (an unkind or aggressive trick)

practical joke (a prank or trick played on a person (especially one intended to make the victim appear foolish))

Derivation:

trickster (someone who plays practical jokes on others)

Sense 4

Meaning:

An attempt to get you to do something foolish or imprudent

Example:

that offer was a dirty trick

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("trick" is a kind of...):

dishonesty; knavery (lack of honesty; acts of lying or cheating or stealing)

Derivation:

trickster (someone who leads you to believe something that is not true)

Sense 5

Meaning:

(card games) in a single round, the sequence of cards played by all the players; the high card is the winner

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("trick" is a kind of...):

play; turn ((game) the activity of doing something in an agreed succession)

Domain category:

card game; cards (a game played with playing cards)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A prostitute's customer

Synonyms:

john; trick; whoremaster; whoremonger

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Hypernyms ("trick" is a kind of...):

client; customer (someone who pays for goods or services)

Sense 7

Meaning:

A period of work or duty

Classified under:

Nouns denoting time and temporal relations

Hypernyms ("trick" is a kind of...):

duty period; shift; work shift (the time period during which you are at work)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Deceive somebody

Example:

We tricked the teacher into thinking that class would be cancelled next week

Synonyms:

flim-flam; fob; fox; play a joke on; play a trick on; play tricks; pull a fast one on; trick

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "trick" is one way to...):

cozen; deceive; delude; lead on (be false to; be dishonest with)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "trick"):

snooker (fool or dupe)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

Derivation:

trick (a cunning or deceitful action or device)

tricker (someone who plays practical jokes on others)

trickery (the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them))

trickery (verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way)

Credits

 Context examples: 

Sometimes the universe plays tricks on us, and this is one of those days.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

It was a simple trick, but exceedingly effective.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

"Aphids have been doing this trick for millions of years," Brisson says.

(Virus genes help determine if pea aphids get wings, National Science Foundation)

It was a trick I remembered of my sister, and I knew she would soon be herself again.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

In order to fight Zika virus, the substance imitates part of the virus structure in order to “trick” it.

(Brazil scientists discover Zika virus inhibitor, Agência Brasil)

If I could not be persuaded into doing what I thought wrong, I never will be tricked into it.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

It was singular to see how the mother still held to the old trick, when the son had abandoned it as useless.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

He was afraid of catching cold I dare say, and invented this trick for getting out of it.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

That’s old Lord Dudley, and he has a trick of thinking aloud.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“A pretty trick, upon my word! I cannot see them anywhere,” looking eagerly into the park.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)