cheat
Definitions
To act dishonestly to gain an advantage.
欺骗，作弊。
To be sexually unfaithful to a partner.
（对伴侣）不忠，出轨。
A person who cheats; an act of cheating.
骗子；作弊行为。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivedCheat is a shortening of Middle English 'escheat' — land that 'fell back' to the lord when an owner died heirless (Old French escheoir, from Latin ex- + cadere, 'to fall out/away'). Officials who seized such property gained a shady reputation, and 'cheat' drifted from 'confiscate an escheat' to 'defraud, deceive.' A long, surprising fall from a legal land term to everyday dishonesty.
Root cad still carries 18 more wordsWhy It Means This
Cheat is one of the most disguised cadere descendants. It comes from escheat: in feudal law, when a landowner died without heirs, the property 'fell back' (ex- 'out' + cadere 'fall') to the lord or crown. The officials handling these reversions were notorious for grabbing more than their due, so the word soured — from a neutral legal term into 'to defraud.' Today nothing of land or falling survives in the meaning, only the dishonesty.
Common Collocations
- 1.cheat on（考试/伴侣）作弊、出轨
- 2.cheat at在（游戏等）中作弊
- 3.cheat someone out of骗取某人的…
- 4.cheating death侥幸逃过一死
Example Sentences
- 1.
He was caught cheating on the final exam.
- 2.
She felt he had cheated her out of her fair share.
- 3.
Don't trust him — he's a known cheat.