German Conversation · Level 167
29 words
German word
betrügen
Pronunciation
IPA/bəˈtʁyːgn̩/
Meaning
- verbdeceive
Example
Er betrügt sie mit Lügen.
He deceives her with lies.
More examples
Die Firma betrog Kunden durch falsche Rechnungen.
The company deceived customers with false invoices.
Core concept
Someone hides the real terms of an interaction and leaves another person deceived in a transaction or intimate relationship.
Common phrases
einen Partner betrügen
cheat on a partner
jemanden um Geld betrügen
deceive someone out of money
Similar words
täuschen: Creates a false impression that leads someone to judge a situation wrongly.
verraten: Discloses secrets or private information to a third party, damaging trust.
hintergehen: Quietly cheats or wrongs someone while violating trust in the relationship.
schwindeln: Blurs the truth with minor lies, inflated claims, or vague wording.
Definition in German
jemanden täuschen oder hintergehen; auch in einer Beziehung untreu sein oder jemanden um etwas betrügen
Word origin
Betrügen is an inherited Germanic formation whose older forms include Old High German bitriugan and Middle High German betriegen, meaning 'to deceive'.
Usage tips
- In relationship contexts, jemanden betrügen means to be unfaithful to that person, while English betray often refers more specifically to disloyalty or revealing a secret.
Other meanings
- cheat onverb
- swindleverb
Related words
- der Betrugfraudnoun
- der Betrügerswindlernoun
- betrügerischfraudulentadjective