Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - deceive

 verb  (~d; deceiving)  Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French deceivre, from Latin decipere, from de- + capere to take — more at heave  Date: 13th century  transitive verb  1. archaic ensnare  2.  a. obsolete to be false to  b. archaic to fail to fulfill  3. obsolete cheat  4. to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid  5. archaic to while away  intransitive verb to practice deceit; also to give a false impression appearances can ~  • ~r noun  • deceivingly adverb Synonyms:  ~, mislead, delude, beguile mean to lead astray or frustrate usually by underhandedness. ~ implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness tried to ~ me about the cost. mislead implies a leading astray that may or may not be intentional I was misled by the confusing sign. delude implies deceiving so thoroughly as to obscure the truth we were deluded into thinking we were safe. beguile stresses the use of charm and persuasion in deceiving was beguiled by false promises.