trick

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: a crafty procedure or practice meant to deceive or defraud
b
: a mischievous act : prank
c
: a deceptive, dexterous, or ingenious feat
especially : one designed to puzzle or amuse
a juggler's tricks
d
: an indiscreet or childish action
2
a(1)
: a quick or artful way of getting a result : knack
the trick is to make it look natural
(2)
: an instance of getting a desired result
one small adjustment will do the trick
b
: a technical device (as of an art or craft)
the tricks of stage technique
3
a
: a delusive appearance especially when caused by art or legerdemain : an optical illusion
a mere trick of the light
b
: a habitual peculiarity of behavior or manner
a horse with the trick of shying
c
: a characteristic and identifying feature
a trick of speech
4
: the cards played in one round of a card game often used as a scoring unit
5
a
: a sexual act performed by a prostitute
turning tricks
also : john sense 2
c
: a trip taken as part of one's employment
d
: a turn of duty at the helm usually lasting for two hours
6
: an attractive child or woman
a cute little trick

trick

2 of 3

verb

tricked; tricking; tricks

transitive verb

: to deceive by cunning or artifice : cheat see also trick out

trick

3 of 3

adjective

1
a
: of or relating to or involving tricks or trickery
trick photography
trick dice
b
: skilled in or used for tricks
a trick horse
2
a
: somewhat defective and unreliable
a trick lock
b
: inclined to give way unexpectedly
a trick knee
3
: trig
Choose the Right Synonym for trick

trick, ruse, stratagem, maneuver, artifice, wile, feint mean an indirect means to gain an end.

trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.

the tricks of the trade

ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.

the ruses of smugglers

stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.

the stratagem-filled game

maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.

last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.

the clever artifices of the stage

wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.

used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.

a feint toward the enemy's left flank

Examples of trick in a Sentence

Noun It was a trick to persuade her to give him money. She enjoys playing tricks on her friends. For his last trick, the magician made a rabbit disappear. Verb He tricked her by wearing a disguise. you tricked me into thinking my ex wasn't coming to the party tonight Adjective a trick shot in pool He has a trick knee.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For someone not as developed and just looking for modesty, a bralette with foam inserts does the trick. Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 20 Mar. 2024 The trick is in understanding your position and playing to your strengths, with or without that appearance the development and nurturing of a community is indispensable in the utilization of that kind of exposure. Anto Dotcom, Rolling Stone, 20 Mar. 2024 And if that doesn’t do the trick, the restaurant’s famous chicken and waffles will. Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024 The trick to reproducing this in gluten-free baking is to create a dough that’s sticky and thick enough to do the same. Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appétit, 15 Mar. 2024 The trick is that the brand essentially markets itself. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 The two-photon trick cannot detect gluons’ effects. Quanta Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 What are some new tricks for finding a low airfare? Christopher Elliott, King Features Syndicate, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024 In the original series, Colt moonlighted as a bounty hunter, employing filmmaking tricks to capture his targets — a fun if contrived excuse for stunt driving and pyrotechnic sequences. Peter Debruge, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024
Verb
This week, a button goes to Steinberg, who tricked us into making this foray into March Madness. Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 Prosecutors said in the release that Liao suffered losses from trading cryptocurrency and tricked Zhang into signing a promissory note ordering him to pay nearly $800,000. Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024 Suspicious of Forti and the hotel deal, detectives tried to trick him, suggesting that Tony might also be dead. Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 McCall says some manufacturers try to trick you with other symbols. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024 From a distance their subtlety may trick you into thinking the work itself is simple. Grace Edquist, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 The older brother tricks his younger brother into entering the greenhouse, then locks him in and sits down, smiling, as the boy yells to be let out. Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Ernie tricks the young bowler into a con game that leaves Roy’s bowling hand crippled for life. Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024 Treatments for hair loss caused by autoimmune diseases Autoimmune diseases essentially trick your immune system into attacking healthy body tissue by mistake. Krissy Brady, SELF, 5 Mar. 2024
Adjective
My idea was not to get too trick-sy with it, to keep it at a fairly simple visual level. Corey S Powell, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2014 As Halloween approaches, investors seem fearful that good credit performance may be more trick than treat. Telis Demos, WSJ, 21 Oct. 2022 If the high cost of it all is more trick than treat for you, here are several ways to turn your already smart home into a spook-tacularly genius haunted house. Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2021 And arguably, given the variety of cask types used by the distillery, Angel’s Envy is actually a multi-trick pony. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 June 2021 The ‘00s are cool again, right? (Trick question: They, like Britney, have always been cool.) Kara Nesvig, Allure, 23 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trick.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English trikke, from Anglo-French *trik, from trikier to deceive, cheat, from Vulgar Latin *triccare, alteration of Latin tricari to behave evasively, shuffle, from tricae complications, trifles

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1631, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Time Traveler
The first known use of trick was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near trick

Cite this Entry

“Trick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trick. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

trick

1 of 3 noun
1
a
: an action meant to deceive or cheat
b
: a mischievous act : prank
c
: an unwise or childish action
d
: a skillful or clever feat designed to puzzle or amuse
a juggler's tricks
2
: a habitual peculiarity of behavior or manner
a trick of speech
3
a
: a quick or artful way of getting a result : knack
the trick is to do it quickly
b
: an instance of getting a desired result
one small adjustment will do the trick
4
: a technical device (as of an art or craft)
tricks of the trade
5
: the cards played in one round of a card game

trick

2 of 3 verb
1
: to deceive with tricks : cheat
2
: to dress or decorate especially oddly or ornately
tricked out in a gaudy uniform

trick

3 of 3 adjective
1
a
: of or relating to or involving tricks or trickery
trick photography
b
: skilled in or used for tricks
a trick horse
2
a
: somewhat defective and unreliable
a trick lock
b
: inclined to give way unexpectedly
a trick knee

More from Merriam-Webster on trick

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