to gull
- verb
- /ɡʌl/
- The con artist attempted to gull the tourists with a phony charity scam.
- easily gulled
- gulled people
What it does is it presents itself in terms that are meant to, how shall I put it to gull and fool people into thinking that Hamas is somehow dealable with?
- What it does is it presents itself in terms that are meant to, how shall I put it to gull and fool people into thinking that Hamas is somehow dealable with?
Examples
-
If Mr. Collins has been gulled, we'll sleep soundly.
-
He tried to gull me into thinking he had inside information about the investment.
-
Only Merlin would seek to gull me so, even though he should know better.
Fiction book (2001) -
"You have been gulled!" he said at last.
Fiction book (1993) -
Lately, it has come to me that I'd been gulled more than I knew.
Fiction book (1995) -
They were easily gulled in those days.
Fiction book (1996) -
He wasn't going to be gulled into thinking that the pressure was off.
Fiction book (1995) -
Perhaps the federal agency was gulled by the fulsome praise Starr's project received from the teaching profession and the mass media.
Academic text (1992) -
I'd like to be in the room with him and the suckers he gulled into donating to his stupor-PAC.
Blog text (2) -
Her sense of betrayal is doubled; she was "gulled" both by her family and by the Canadian government (Knutson 11).
Academic text (2013)
Synonyms
To trick someone into believing something that is not true
To make someone believe something false so you can get what you want
To trick someone into believing something false
Make someone believe something that is not true
To trick someone, often as a joke
To trick someone by pretending you want to help them
Treat someone as stupid to trick or cheat them
To make someone believe something that is not true
To trick someone into a trap or danger
To trick someone to take their money or things
To trick someone to get their money
Make someone believe something false to trick them
To trick someone so they look silly
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
A medium-sized sea bird with a black head in summer that makes a loud call like a laugh
- US
A medium-sized seabird with a grey back and white belly found in Europe, Asia, and northeastern North America
A large white sea bird with black back and wings found on North Atlantic coasts
A white sea bird that lives in the Arctic and sometimes moves south to places like England or New Brunswick
How Deceptive
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb gull (to trick) comes from the same idea as the noun: to make someone into an 'easy target' like a gull; so to gull someone is to cheat or fool them, the same root you see in gullible.