Headway Word of the Week

⇒ Learn more words in the Word of the Week archive

trick

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

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.

Adjective and noun

Verb and noun

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.

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)

⇒ Learn more words in the Word of the Week archive