Headway Word of the Week

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trick

If you trick someone, you make them believe something that is not true.

  • You've been tricked. John isn't a famous pop star. He just told you that.

A trick is something you do to deceive someone. You could do it to entertain, annoy or take unfair advantage of someone.

  • The magician performed a trick with a pack of cards. It was brilliant.
  • That was a terrible trick to play on grandmother. She really thought you were a ghost.
  • David got fired because of what you told the boss. That was a really dirty trick.

A trick can also be a special way of doing something.

  • There's a trick to opening this umbrella - you press the button and and push it up really slowly.

Check out collocations

Adjective and noun

  • a dirty trick
  • a cruel trick
  • an old trick

Verb and noun

  • do / perform a magic trick
  • play a trick on someone

Verb and preposition

  • trick someone into doing something
    She tricked me into thinking it was Monday, when in fact it was Sunday. I was halfway to work before I realized.
  • trick someone out of something
    He tricked me out of £10,000. I was so upset.

Check out expressions

  • That did the trick!
    ( = That solved the problem)
  • Do you have a trick up your sleeve?
    ( = Do you have an idea about how to solve this problem?)
  • She never misses a trick.
    ( = She's very sharp. She notices everything that is happening)
  • I can teach him a trick or two.
    ( = He's new to this job/situation. I know more than him)
  • He'll have to learn the tricks of the trade.
    ( = He'll have to learn how to do the job)
  • She's tried every trick in the book.
    ( = She's used every possible method to try to solve a problem)
  • He's up to his old tricks.
    ( = He's doing the bad things he always does)
  • How's tricks?
    ( = How are you? How are things?)
  • You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
    ( = It's harder for older people to adapt to new things)

Check out adjectives

  • a trick question
    ( = It seems easy, but it isn't)
  • a tricky question
    ( = It is difficult)
  • a tricky situation
    ( = It is difficult to get out of)
  • a tricky person
    ( = difficult to deal with)

Check out other related words

  • deception
  • deceive
  • con
  • mislead
  • illusion

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