trick

1 of 3

noun

ˈtrik 

plural tricks

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

informal : a sexual act performed by a sex worker

She was living on the street and turning tricks [=taking payment for sex acts] to survive.

also : john sense 2

b

: shift sense 4b(1)

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

Synonyms

Noun

• artifice
• device
• dodge
• fetch
• flimflam
• gambit
• gimmick
• jig
• juggle
• knack
• play
• ploy
• ruse
• scheme
• shenanigan
• sleight
• stratagem
• wile

Verb

• bamboozle
• beguile
• bluff
• buffalo
• burn
• catch
• con
• cozen
• deceive
• delude
• dupe
• fake out
• fool
• gaff
• gammon
• gull
• have
• have on [chiefly British]
• hoax
• hoodwink
• hornswoggle
• humbug
• juggle
• misguide
• misinform
• mislead
• snooker
• snow
• spoof
• string along
• suck in
• sucker
• take in

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

As for the pineapple addition to the drink, eating the fruit is another common, nonmedical trick that people suggest for getting labor started (some people also swear by it when trying to conceive). —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 18 Dec. 2024

The gods prove cruel but not omnipotent, and the modern settings exert their own redemptive pull; the final effect is that of a magic trick, in which the characters manage, in each film’s miraculous closing moments, to slip the bonds of tragedy. —Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2024

Verb

This is critical, as 2G networks are far less secure than 3G and especially LTE and 5G. Simple network attack devices, which trick phones into jumping from real networks to local, fraudulent ones, try to make a 2G connection with lower encryption levels. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024

To trick the German forces into believing that a much larger American force was stationed in various locations, diverting attention away from the real operations and damaging enemy morale. —Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 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

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

Phrases Containing trick

• confidence trick
• con trick
• dirty/mean/rotten trick
• do the trick
• hat trick
• never/not miss a trick
• odd trick
• one-trick pony
• parlor trick
• parlour trick
• play a trick on (someone)
• show/teach (someone) a trick or two
• trick into
• trick of the light
• trick of the/one's trade
• trick or treat
• trick out
• trick out of
• trick photography
• trick question
• try/use every trick in the book
• turn the trick

Kids Definition

trick

1 of 3 noun

ˈtrik 

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