Adjacent Words

Feint definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

FEINT, n.
1. An assumed or false appearance; a pretense of doing something not intended to be done.
Courtley's letter is but a feint to get off.
2. A mock attack; an appearance of aiming at one part when another is intended to be struck. In fencing, a show of making a thrust at one part, to deceive an antagonist, when the intention is to strike another part.
FEINT, a. or pp. Counterfeit; seeming. [Not used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any distracting or deceptive maneuver (as a mock attack) v
1: deceive by a mock action; "The midfielder feinted to shoot"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: French feinte, from Old French, from feint, past participle of feindre Date: 1644 something feigned; specifically a mock blow or attack on or toward one part in order to distract attention from the point one really intends to attack Synonyms: see trick II. verb Date: 1741 intransitive verb to make a feint transitive verb 1. to lure or deceive with a feint 2. to make a pretense of

U.S. Military Dictionary

In military deception, an offensive action involving contact with the adversary conducted for the purpose of deceiving the adversary as to the location and/or time of the actual main offensive action. (JP 3-13.4)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a sham attack or blow etc. to divert attention or fool an opponent or enemy. 2 pretence. --v.intr. make a feint. Etymology: F feinte, fem. past part. of feindre FEIGN 2. adj. esp. Printing = FAINT adj. 6 (feint lines). Etymology: ME f. OF (as FEINT(1)): see FAINT

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Feint Feint, v. i. To make a feint, or mock attack.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Feint Feint, a. [F. feint, p. p. of feindre to feign. See Feign.] Feigned; counterfeit. [Obs.] Dressed up into any feint appearance of it. --Locke.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Feint Feint, n. [F. feinte, fr. feint. See Feint, a.] 1. That which is feigned; an assumed or false appearance; a pretense; a stratagem; a fetch. Courtley's letter is but a feint to get off. --Spectator. 2. A mock blow or attack on one part when another part is intended to be struck; -- said of certain movements in fencing, boxing, war, etc.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(feints, feinting, feinted) In sport or military conflict, if someone feints, they make a brief movement in a different direction from the one they intend to follow, as a way of confusing or deceiving their opponent. I feinted to the left, then to the right... They feinted and concentrated forces against the most fortified line of the enemy side. VERB: V prep/adv, V

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Pretence, blind, make-believe, false appearance. 2. (Mil.) Mock attack, pretended movement.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

A sham attack on one part, when a real one is meant at another.

Foolish Dictionary

A pugilist's bluff. (See FAINT)

Moby Thesaurus

acting, aerial tactics, affectation, airborne tactics, alibi, apology, appearance, applied tactics, armored tactics, art, artful dodge, artifice, attitudinizing, bag of tricks, barrier tactics, befooling, blind, bluff, bluffing, bosey, catch, cavalry tactics, cheat, cheating, chicanery, chouse, cloak, color, coloring, commend, compliment, congratulate, conspiracy, contemn, contrivance, counterfeit, coup, cover, cover story, cover-up, craft, curve, curve-ball, cut, cute trick, deceit, deception, defensive strategy, delusion, design, device, dirty deal, dirty trick, disguise, dissemblance, dissembling, dissimulation, distraction, diversion, dodge, encirclement, excuse, expedient, facade, face, fake, fakement, fakery, faking, false air, false front, false move, false show, falsity, fast deal, feigning, felicitate, fetch, ficelle, fire tactics, four-flushing, fraud, front, gambit, game, gilt, gimmick, gloss, googly, grift, guise, handle, hoax, hocus-pocus, home thrust, hoodwinking, humbug, humbuggery, imposture, infantry tactics, infiltration, intrigue, investment, jab, jig, joker, juggle, jugglery, knavery, lame excuse, little game, locus standi, lunge, make-believe, maneuver, mask, masquerade, meretriciousness, mob tactics, mobile tactics, move, ostensible motive, ostentation, outward show, pass, pincers movement, play, playacting, plot, ploy, poor excuse, pose, posing, posture, pretense, pretension, pretext, protestation, public motive, put-off, racket, recommend, red herring, refuge, representation, resort, ruse, salute, scheme, screen, scurvy trick, seeming, semblance, sham, shift, shock tactics, show, simulacrum, simulation, sleight, sleight of hand, sleight-of-hand trick, smoke screen, speciousness, stab, stalking-horse, stratagem, strategy, subterfuge, swing, tactic, tactics, thrust, trick, trickery, varnish, veil, whizzer, wile, wily device, window dressing