Thesaurus results for FEINT

Q: How is the word 'feint' different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of feint are artifice , maneuver , ruse , stratagem , trick , and wile . While all these words mean "an indirect means to gain an end," feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent. // a feint toward the enemy's left flank

Q: In what contexts can 'artifice' take the place of 'feint'?

The meanings of artifice and feint largely overlap; however, artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention. // the clever artifices of the stage

Q: When might 'maneuver' be a better fit than 'feint'?

While the synonyms maneuver and feint are close in meaning, maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty. // last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

Q: When could 'ruse' be used to replace 'feint'?

The words ruse and feint are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression. // the ruses of smugglers

Q: When is it sensible to use 'stratagem' instead of 'feint'?

In some situations, the words stratagem and feint are roughly equivalent. However, stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy. // the stratagem -filled game

Q: When can 'trick' be used instead of 'feint'?

The words trick and feint can be used in similar contexts, but trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end. // the tricks of the trade

Q: Where would 'wile' be a reasonable alternative to 'feint'?

The synonyms wile and feint are sometimes interchangeable, but wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements. // used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

feint 1 of 2

noun

Definition of feint next

as in bluff

sports a quick movement that you make to trick an opponent The boxer made a feint with his right, then followed with a left hook.

Synonyms & Similar Words

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feint

2 of 2

verb

as in to bluff

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word feint different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of feint are artifice, maneuver, ruse, stratagem, trick, and wile. While all these words mean "an indirect means to gain an end," feint implies a diversion or distraction of attention away from one's real intent.

a feint toward the enemy's left flank

In what contexts can artifice take the place of feint?

The meanings of artifice and feint largely overlap; however, artifice implies ingenious contrivance or invention.

the clever artifices of the stage

When might maneuver be a better fit than feint?

While the synonyms maneuver and feint are close in meaning, maneuver suggests adroit and skillful avoidance of difficulty.

last-minute maneuvers to avert bankruptcy

When could ruse be used to replace feint?

The words ruse and feint are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, ruse stresses an attempt to mislead by a false impression.

the ruses of smugglers

When is it sensible to use stratagem instead of feint?

In some situations, the words stratagem and feint are roughly equivalent. However, stratagem implies a ruse used to entrap, outwit, circumvent, or surprise an opponent or enemy.

the stratagem-filled game

When can trick be used instead of feint?

The words trick and feint can be used in similar contexts, but trick may imply deception, roguishness, illusion, and either an evil or harmless end.

the tricks of the trade

Where would wile be a reasonable alternative to feint?

The synonyms wile and feint are sometimes interchangeable, but wile suggests an attempt to entrap or deceive with false allurements.

used all of his wiles to ingratiate himself

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of feint

Noun

The summit of Allied deception came in June 1944, when intelligence officers persuaded the Nazis that the Normandy landings were a feint, designed to draw defenders away from the real target farther north at Calais. —

Robert Hutton, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Sep. 2024 That October, Fox News’ Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier asked Buttigieg a leading question about the policy differences between Biden and Harris, only to have Buttigieg feint, brilliantly. —

Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2024

Verb

The show also feints at a proper whodunnit, then builds to a nuanced, if anticlimactic conclusion, and all at a lazy river’s pace. —

Joshua Alston, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023 What’s more, Susan Neuman told me, some clever members of the sixty per cent may be able to feint their way through books for early readers, and so the true extent of their lack of decoding skills may not emerge until as late as third grade. —

Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2022 See all Example Sentences for feint

Recent Examples of Synonyms for feint

Noun

Another major boost in funding has been awarded to the Orange County Transportation Authority for efforts to secure a coastal rail line threatened by the ocean and collapsing bluffs – this time, $100 million in new federal assistance announced Thursday, Oct. 31.

Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 31 Oct. 2024
The hypothesized hand is deduced from betting patterns of the opponents, which include bluffs.

Jim Euchner, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024