trick

[ trik ]

/ trɪk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR trick ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a crafty or underhanded device, maneuver, stratagem, or the like, intended to deceive or cheat; artifice; ruse; wile.

an optical illusion: It must have been some visual trick caused by the flickering candlelight.

a roguish or mischievous act; practical joke; prank: She likes to play tricks on her friends.

a mean, foolish, or childish action.

a clever or ingenious device or expedient; adroit technique: the tricks of the trade.

the art or knack of doing something skillfully: You seem to have mastered the trick of making others laugh.

a clever or dexterous feat intended to entertain, amuse, etc.: He taught his dog some amazing tricks.

a feat of magic or legerdemain: card tricks.

a behavioral peculiarity; trait; habit; mannerism.

a period of duty or turn; stint; tour of duty: I relieved the pilot after he had completed his trick at the wheel.

Cards.

the group or set of cards played and won in one round.
a point or scoring unit.
a card that is a potential winner.Compare honor trick.

Informal. a child or young girl: a pretty little trick.

Slang.

a prostitute's customer.
a sexual act between a prostitute and a customer.

Heraldry.

a preliminary sketch of a coat of arms.
engraver's trick.

adjective

of, pertaining to, characterized by, or involving tricks: trick shooting.

designed or used for tricks: a trick chair.

(of a joint) inclined to stiffen or weaken suddenly and unexpectedly: a trick shoulder.

verb (used with object)

to deceive by trickery.

Heraldry. to indicate the tinctures of (a coat of arms) with engravers tricks.

to cheat or swindle (usually followed by out of): to trick someone out of an inheritance.

to beguile by trickery (usually followed by into).

verb (used without object)

to practice trickery or deception; cheat.

to play tricks; trifle (usually followed by with).

Slang. to engage in sexual acts for hire.

Verb Phrases

trick out, Informal. to embellish or adorn with or as if with ornaments or other attention-getting devices.

Idioms for trick

do/turn the trick, to achieve the desired effect or result: Another turn of the pliers should do the trick.

turn a trick, Slang. (of a prostitute) to engage in a sexual act with a customer.

Origin of trick

1375–1425; late Middle English trik (noun) < Old North French trique deceit, derivative of trikier to deceive < Vulgar Latin *triccāre, for Latin trīcārī to play tricks

SYNONYMS FOR trick

1 deception.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR trick ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for trick

1. Trick , artifice , ruse , stratagem , wile are terms for crafty or cunning devices that are intended to deceive. Trick , the general term, refers usually to an underhanded act designed to cheat someone, but it sometimes refers merely to a pleasurable deceiving of the senses: to win by a trick. Like trick , but to a greater degree, artifice emphasizes the cleverness, ingenuity, or cunning with which the proceeding is devised: an artifice of diabolical ingenuity. Ruse and stratagem emphasize the purpose for which the trick is designed; ruse is the more general term of the two, and stratagem sometimes implies a more elaborate procedure or a military application: He gained entrance by a ruse. His stratagem gave them command of the hill. W ile emphasizes the disarming effect of the trick upon those who are deceived: His wiles charmed them into trusting him. 18. See cheat.

OTHER WORDS FROM trick

trick·er, noun trick·ing·ly, adverb out·trick, verb (used with object) un·tricked, adjective

Words nearby trick

trichromatopsia, trichrome stain, trichuriasis, trichuris, tricipital, trick, trick cyclist, trick ending, trick knee, trick or treat, trick out

Example sentences from the Web for trick

The trick has been to create nonstops from cities like Boston that were under-served.

Goodbye, Bahamas. Hello, Havana! |Clive Irving |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The trick is to be able to recognize the right one when it comes along.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days |David Freeman |December 13, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The trick, in any case, was repeated semester after semester.

Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor |S. C. Gwynne |November 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Think one small piece of pie or a half-cup of eggnog, says Zied, will do the trick.

12 Thanksgiving Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work |DailyBurn |November 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

After seeing this trick with blocks and toys, children saw it performed with a hamster.

Why Are Millennials Unfriending Organized Religion? |Vlad Chituc |November 9, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And everywhere we will play a different sort of trick, for no one will see us.

Jewish Children |Sholem Naumovich Rabinovich
Your companion, disarmed by a trick, was prepared to take her own life.

The Brass Bell |Eugne Sue
"I didn't think you would play this trick on me, Muky," he said, a flush of embarrassment gathering in his brown face.

The Wolf Hunters |James Oliver Curwood
I hardly think there's anybody desperate enough to do that kind of a trick, for it would be a case of suicide.

Frank Merriwell's Nobility |Burt L. Standish (AKA Gilbert Patten)
Holmes stood before us with the air of a conjurer who is performing a trick.

The Return of Sherlock Holmes |Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for trick

trick

/ (trɪk) /

noun

a deceitful, cunning, or underhand action or plan

a mischievous, malicious, or humorous action or plan; jokethe boys are up to their tricks again
(as modifier)a trick spider

an illusory or magical feat or device

a simple feat learned by an animal or person

an adroit or ingenious device; knack a trick of the trade

a behavioural trait, habit, or mannerism

a turn or round of duty or work

cards

a batch of cards containing one from each player, usually played in turn and won by the player or side that plays the card with the highest value
a card that can potentially win a trick

can't take a trick Australian slang to be consistently unsuccessful or unlucky

do the trick informal to produce the right or desired result

how's tricks? slang how are you?

turn a trick slang (of a prostitute) to gain a customer

verb

to defraud, deceive, or cheat (someone), esp by means of a trick

Derived forms of trick

tricker, noun trickless, adjective

Word Origin for trick

C15: from Old Northern French trique, from trikier to deceive, from Old French trichier, ultimately from Latin trīcārī to play tricks

Idioms and Phrases with trick

trick

In addition to the idioms beginning with trick

trick or treat
trick out
tricks of the trade

also see:

bag of tricks
confidence game (trick)
dirty tricks
do the trick
hat trick
how's tricks
not miss a trick
teach an old dog new tricks
that does it (the trick)
turn a trick
up to one's old tricks

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

trick

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

Idioms for trick

Origin of trick

SYNONYMS FOR trick

synonym study for trick

OTHER WORDS FROM trick

Words nearby trick

Example sentences from the Web for trick

British Dictionary definitions for trick

noun

verb

Derived forms of trick

Word Origin for trick

Idioms and Phrases with trick

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

trick

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

Idioms for trick

Origin of trick

SYNONYMS FOR trick

synonym study for trick

OTHER WORDS FROM trick

Words nearby trick

Words related to trick

Example sentences from the Web for trick

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for trick

noun

verb

Derived forms of trick

Word Origin for trick

Idioms and Phrases with trick

British Dictionary definitions for trick