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magic trick

magic trick

29 2.7
A performance that looks impossible and surprises people
  • noun
  • /ˈmædʒɪk trɪk/
translation icon : truco de magia
  • In my free time, I like to do magic tricks with cards.
  • perform magic tricks
  • watch a magic trick
  • learn magic tricks

Maybe you can use this as like a magic trick or prank to trick your friends.

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Examples

  • Who doesn't love a good magic trick?

  • Misdirection is at the heart of all great magic tricks.

  • What is your favorite magic trick to watch?

  • - Would you like to see a magic trick?

  • - Want to see a magic trick?

  • Let me show you a magic trick.

  • I like his magic tricks, the one with food, of course.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • I'd like to treat you ladies to a magic trick.

  • I will show you the greatest magic trick you've ever seen.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Last night, the magician amazed the audience with an incredible magic trick that made a rabbit disappear.

Synonyms

trick
vsmagic trick
255 2.3

A clever act that looks like magic and entertains people

is specifically a staged entertainment using illusion or sleight to amaze people
illusion
vsmagic trick
52 4.2

A magic trick that makes something look impossible

is a performed act using sleight of hand to entertain and seem impossible
card trick
vsmagic trick
9 2.8

A trick that uses playing cards to entertain people

is a general staged performance not limited to any single prop or tool
hocus-pocus
vsmagic trick
9 8.1

Words or actions that trick people by seeming magical

is a performed act that uses skilled methods rather than just words to amaze
prestidigitation
vsmagic trick
3 9.9

A performance using quick, skilled hand movements to do magic tricks

is a broader staged act that often uses these quick hand techniques
parlour trick
vsmagic trick
  • UK
3 6.7

A simple magic trick to amuse people at a small party

is often a more formal or crafted staged act aimed at public entertainment
legerdemain
vsmagic trick
  • Formal
2 9.9

A skill of quick hand tricks to fool people, like a magician

is a full performance that may include such hand skill to entertain
conjuring trick
vsmagic trick
1 4.9

A magic trick that seems to break natural rules to surprise and amuse people

is a performed act using sleight of hand rather than real supernatural power
conjuration
vsmagic trick
1 9.9

A trick that looks like real magic and amazes people

is a staged performance relying on illusion and skill to create that effect
brujeria
vsmagic trick
  • UK
9.9

A clever trick or skill that seems like magic

is an organised performed act using illusion or sleight to entertain spectators
jugglery
vsmagic trick
  • Archaic
8.9

A performance of throwing and catching balls to entertain people

focuses more narrowly on staged illusion and sleight of hand to amaze people

Antonyms

1.4

The way things really are, not how we imagine or wish

How Impressive

illusion
52 4.2
magic trick
29 2.7
stage effect
  • Specialized
3.8
trick
  • Informal
74 1.6

Surface Forms

magic trick singular
magic tricks plural

Morphology

magic + trick

The phrase is fully compositional: 'magic' (supernatural art or illusion) combined with 'trick' (an acted feat creating an illusion) directly yields the meaning 'an act using illusion to entertain,' which a B1 learner who knows both words can infer. This noun + noun collocation follows common productivity patterns found across languages, so the sense is immediately predictable from the constituents.

Etymology

The noun magic trick comes from the words magic and trick: a trick is a secret move that makes something look impossible, as if by magic. So a magic trick is an act where a performer uses secret moves to 'make people believe something impossible' and to amaze the audience.