beguile

verb be·guile \bi-ˈgī(-ə)l, bē-\

: to trick or deceive (someone)

: to attract or interest someone

be·guiledbe·guil·ing

Full Definition of BEGUILE

transitive verb

: to lead by deception

: hoodwink

: to while away especially by some agreeable occupation; also : divert 2

: to engage the interest of by or as if by guile

intransitive verb

: to deceive by wiles

— be·guile·ment \-ˈgī(-ə)l-mənt\ noun

— be·guil·er \-ˈgī-lər\ noun

— be·guil·ing·ly \-ˈgī-liŋ-lē\ adverb

See beguile defined for English-language learners

See beguile defined for kids

First Known Use of BEGUILE

13th century

Related to BEGUILE

Synonyms: allure, charm, bewitch, captivate, enchant, fascinate, kill, magnetize, wile, witch [archaic]

Antonyms: undeceive

Synonym Discussion of BEGUILE

deceive, mislead, delude, beguile mean to lead astray or frustrate usually by underhandedness. deceive implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness <tried to deceive me about the cost>. mislead implies a leading astray that may or may not be intentional <I was misled by the confusing sign>. delude implies deceiving so thoroughly as to obscure the truth <we were deluded into thinking we were safe>. beguile stresses the use of charm and persuasion in deceiving <was beguiled by false promises>.

BEGUILING Defined for Kids

beguile

verb be·guile \bi-ˈgīl\

be·guiledbe·guil·ing

Definition of BEGUILE for Kids

: ²trick, deceive <He was beguiled with lies.>

: to cause time to pass pleasantly <… throughout the rest of our night-march he beguiled the way with whistling of many tunes … — Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped>

: to attract or interest by or as if by charm <The scenery beguiled us.>