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Meaning of trick in English

trick
noun [ C ]
uk
/trɪk/ us
/trɪk/

trick noun [C] (ACT OF DECEIVING)

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B1
an action that is intended to deceive, either as a way of cheating someone, or as a joke or form of entertainment:
play a trick on She played a really nasty trick on me - she put syrup in my shampoo bottle!
do a trick My niece was showing me all the tricks that she's learned to do with her new magic set.
trick photography It's trick photography - she's supposed to look like she's walking on water.
Synonym
deception
be a trick of the light
to be an effect caused by light, making something appear different:
For a moment I thought you had a patch of grey hair, but it's just a trick of the light.
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trick or treat
what children say when they go trick-or-treating at Halloween:
I thought I heard kids shouting "Trick or treat!"
See more
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Cheating & tricking
See more results »

trick noun [C] (METHOD)

B2
an effective or quick way of doing something:
trick to What's the trick to getting this chair to fold up?
On page 21, some tricks to speed up your beauty routine.
Synonym
knack
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Ways of achieving things
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trick noun [C] (SEX)

a sexual act by a prostitute (= someone who has sex for money):
Prostitutes do business at the equivalent of $85 a trick.
turn tricks Prostitutes turned tricks (= performed sexual acts) in cars on the dark and quiet streets.
a person who someone has sex with without being in a relationship with them, or a customer of a prostitute:
He picked up a trick downtown, brought him home and had sex with him.
He was dumped for some young trick just looking for sex.

trick noun [C] (CARDS)

in card games, a set of cards played or won in one round (= one of several parts of a game):
I took the last trick and won the game.
She just wanted to win one trick to prove to them she knew how to play.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Card games
See more results »

Idioms

do the trick
every trick in the book
how's tricks?
trick of the trade
trick
verb [ T ]
uk
/trɪk/ us
/trɪk/
B2
to deceive someone, often as a part of a plan:
trick someone into doing something Dean tricked the old lady into giving him eight hundred dollars.
Synonyms
deceive
fox UK
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
to deceive someone
  • deceiveThe cigarette companies deceived the public about the health risks of cigarettes.
  • deceive yourselfYou'd be deceiving yourself if you believed that.
  • trickShe felt they had tricked her into saying more than she intended.
  • foolYou don't fool me with your innocent act.
  • take inThey claimed to be destitute, but we weren't taken in.
  • pull the wool over someone's eyesI'm not stupid. You can't pull the wool over my eyes like that.
See more results »
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Cheating & tricking
See more results »
trick
adjective [ before noun ]
uk
/trɪk/ us
/trɪk/

trick adjective [before noun] (DECEIVING)

used to deceive someone, either as a joke or form of entertainment or so that they make a mistake:
a trick question
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Sly & devious
See more results »

trick adjective [before noun] (WEAK)

US
A trick part of the body, especially a joint (= place where two bones are connected), sometimes feels weak suddenly and unexpectedly:
I have a trick ankle that gives me problems if I run too much.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Problems with bones, joints & teeth
See more results »
(Definition of trick from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

trick | American Dictionary

trick
noun [ C ]
us
/trɪk/

trick noun [C] (ACT OF DECEIVING)

Add to word list Add to word list
an action intended to deceive, either as a way of cheating someone or as a joke or form of entertainment:
He showed us some card tricks.
trick or treat
Trick or treat is what children say on Halloween, when they dress to look frightening or amusing and visit people’s homes to ask for candy:
Are your kids too old for trick or treating (= visiting people’s homes to ask for candy)?

trick noun [C] (METHOD)

a quick or effective way of doing something:
What’s the trick to pulling out this sofa bed?

Idiom

tricks of the trade
trick
adjective [ not gradable ]
us
/trɪk/

trick adjective [not gradable] (WEAK)

(of a part of the body, esp. a joint) sometimes feeling weak suddenly and unexpectedly:
I’ve had a trick knee ever since I played football.
trick
verb [ T ]
us
/trɪk/

trick verb [T] (DECEIVE)

to make someone believe something that is not true, or to persuade someone to do something based on a false understanding of the facts:
She tricked me into telling her what I was up to.
(Definition of trick from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of trick

trick
Although it is reasonable to respond by defending eclecticism, it is wor th noting that this pedagogy is not a bag of diverse tricks.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Thus, the cuckoo deposits eggs in passerine nests, tricking the foster parents into incubating and feeding the cuckoo's young.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Showing that certain psychics had used deception, and even replicating their tricks, did not prove that all psychics were fakes.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Environment-driven resonances have their limits as far as explaining the full range of cognitive tricks goes.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
In this case, however, we are looking at one of the tricks that history keeps up its sleeve to confound prediction.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
A good account of the history of commercial design computing can be built on events introducing new representational tricks.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
A number of interesting tricks are combined together.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
He knows all its tricks and aptitudes; when to coax and when to force it, when to rely on it and when to distrust it.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
He played his tricks on women and children, in particular, and deluded them into spiritual crime.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Modeling tricks and fitting techniques for multiresolution structures.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
He wasn't full of mannerisms and little tricks of the trade.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
To eliminate gravity's influence on a motion, for example, the art of experimentation offers many tricks.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The priestly pretense to maternity is a grotesque parody - self-aggrandizing patriarchal power tricked out in the robes of female love and nurturance.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Although the tricks may vary, the jaduwallah typically works in open spaces, streets, parks, fairs, and festivals, as a travelling entertainer.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
They were worried about being 'robbed' or tricked by people (including other farmers) replacing some of the product with petrol in the bottle.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
See all examples of trick
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with trick

trick

These are words often used in combination with trick.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

clever trick
He played many a clever trick on us, but never a deceitful or an underhand one.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
dirty trick
A dirty trick has been used to keep us out of the codecision procedure.
From Europarl Parallel Corpus - English
little trick
In fact, the use of the tag model needs a little trick.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
See all collocations with trick
What is the pronunciation of trick?
 

Translations of trick

in Chinese (Traditional)
欺騙行為, 騙局, 詭計…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
欺骗行为, 骗局, 诡计…
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in Spanish
engaño, trampa, engañar…
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in Portuguese
truque, trapaça, engano…
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in Urdu
in Ukrainian
in Telugu
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युक्ती, खोडी, फसवणे…
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たくらみ, いたずら, 手品…
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aldatmaca, hile, oyun…
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tour [masculine], blague [feminine], ruse [feminine]…
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trampa, broma, truc…
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streek, truc, kunst-…
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ஒருவரை ஏமாற்றுவதற்கான ஒரு வழியாக அல்லது நகைச்சுவையாக அல்லது பொழுதுபோக்கு வடிவமாக ஏமாற்றும் நோக்கம் கொண்ட ஒரு செயல், ஏதாவது செய்வதற்கான பயனுள்ள அல்லது விரைவான வழி, ஒருவரை ஏமாற்ற…
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(छल या मज़ाक के लिए चली गई एक) चाल, दाँव-पेंच, तरकीब…
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ચાલાકી, યુક્તિ, ઠગ…
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trick, trick-…
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knep, list, trick…
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penipuan, muslihat, penuh muslihat…
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der Trick, Trick-……
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puss [neuter], knep [neuter], spøk [masculine]…
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چال, گھات, مکرو فریب (اس کے تحت دھوکہ بھی دیا جاسکتا ہے اور مذاق کے طور پر بھی کوئی شرارت کی جاسکتی ہے)…
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хитрість, обман, фокус…
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ఉపాయం/యుక్తి, ఏదైనా చేయడానికి సమర్థవంతమైన లేదా శీఘ్ర మార్గం, మోసం చేయడం…
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কৌশল, প্রতারিত করা, ঠকানো…
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lest, trik, trikový…
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tipuan, sulap…
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เล่ห์เหลี่ยม, มายากล, หลอกลวง…
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sự lừa dối, ảo thuật, ảo…
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podstęp, kawał, dowcip…
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속임수, 묘기, 재주…
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trucco, imbrogliare, ingannare…
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trichome BETA
trichomonas
trichomoniasis
trichotillomania
trick
trick of the trade idiom
trick or treat phrase
trick play BETA
trick question

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