Dictionary
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
1
: to lead by deception
2
: hoodwink
3
: to while away especially by some agreeable occupation; also : divert 2
4
: 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
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First Known Use of BEGUILE
13th century
Related to BEGUILE
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>.
BEGUILED Defined for Kids
beguile
verb be·guile \bi-ˈgīl\
be·guiledbe·guil·ing
Definition of BEGUILE for Kids
2
: 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>
3
: to attract or interest by or as if by charm <The scenery beguiled us.>
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