Spanish word

engañar

Pronunciation

IPA/eŋgaˈɲaɾ/

Meaning

  • verbtrick

Example

El vendedor engañó a los turistas con precios inflados.

The seller tricked the tourists with inflated prices.

Illustration for engañar (trick)

More examples

Ella engañó a su pareja durante años.

She cheated on her partner for years.

Core concept

A convincing lie that conceals the truth.

Common phrases

  • engañar a alguien

    trick someone

  • engañar a la pareja

    cheat on one's partner

Similar words

mentir: States something untrue with the intent to mislead others.
fingir: Pretends feelings, intentions, or situations that are not actually felt or real.

Definition in Spanish

Hacer creer a otra persona algo que no es verdad mediante mentiras, trucos o apariencias para obtener ventaja, ocultar la verdad o causar daño.

Word origin

Derived from medieval Romance *ingannare (en- + gannare), the verb appears across Romance languages and denotes causing someone to believe something false.

Usage tips

  • Engañar often takes nonhuman targets (engañar al ojo, engañar al sistema) as well as people, so context determines whether it denotes deceiving someone or, in the reflexive, being mistaken.

Other meanings

  • swindleverb
  • cheat onverb

Opposites

  • desengañardisabuseverb

Related words

  • engañodeceptionnoun
  • engañosodeceptiveadjective
  • engañadordeceivernoun

Word lists with this word