Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to put one over on

to put one over on

4 7.9
To trick someone into believing something false
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : engañar a
  • It was clever of her to put one over on her coworkers by pretending to be sick.
  • try to put one over on
  • really put one over on

Examples

Synonyms

to lie
vsto put one over on
∞ 1.3

To say something that is not true to trick someone

covers the same deception but not limited to spoken falsehoods
to fool
vsto put one over on
704 2.1

To trick someone into believing something that is not true

is the broader idea of causing false belief rather than the act word
to trick
vsto put one over on
326 3.5

To make someone believe something false so you can get what you want

is the same notion but less focused on method or cunning
to deceive
vsto put one over on
270 3.9

To make someone believe something that is not true to get an advantage

is similar but stresses making someone believe rather than advantage
to mislead
vsto put one over on
87 3.9

Make someone believe something that is not true

does the same but often implies intentional tricking rather than mistake
to dupe
vsto put one over on
58 6.4

To trick someone into believing something false

is the same act but emphasizes the informal phrase used for it
to fabricate
vsto put one over on
50 7.3

To make up false information to trick people

covers causing belief in falsehoods more broadly, not just inventing facts
to delude
vsto put one over on
48 6.3

Make someone believe something that is not true

is the same result but may include tricking as an active scheme
to put on
vsto put one over on
  • Informal
19 7.2

To trick someone, often as a joke

is the broader action of causing false belief, not limited to jokes
to bamboozle
vsto put one over on
  • Informal
11 8.3

To trick someone by pretending you want to help them

is general deception without stressing complex plans or pretense
to pull the wool over someone's eyes
vsto put one over on
  • Informal
7 8.2

To trick someone by hiding the truth

is similar but not limited to hiding motives as the method
to play (someone) for a fool
vsto put one over on
  • Offensive
7 7.4

Treat someone as stupid to trick or cheat them

is general deception and not specifically about assuming naivety
to play a trick on
vsto put one over on
6 2.8

To fool someone as a joke

is general tricking but not necessarily playful or joking in tone
to pull a fast one on
vsto put one over on
  • Informal
5 8.1

To trick someone to gain an advantage

is the general act of causing false belief rather than a quick trick
to fool everyone
vsto put one over on
4 3.9

To make all the people believe something that is not true

is similar but does not require deceiving many people at once
to put one over
vsto put one over on
  • Informal
4 7.8

To make someone believe something that is not true

is the general act of deceiving others rather than stressing success
to hoax
vsto put one over on
2 4.5

To trick people into believing something false

is broader deception and not restricted to public amusement or stunts
to play false
vsto put one over on
1 8.1

To trick someone who trusts you by hiding your real plans to get something for yourself

is the broader act of making others believe false things rather than motive hiding
to bullcrap
vsto put one over on
  • Offensive
1 9.6

To try to trick someone by saying things that are not true

is the core act of causing false belief without the informal tone
to put one past
vsto put one over on
  • UK
8.3

To trick someone into believing something false

is the broader action of causing belief in something untrue
to put one across
vsto put one over on
  • UK
9.0

Make someone believe something false to trick them

focuses more generally on causing false belief, not the method used
to con someone
vsto put one over on
  • Slang
7.7

To trick someone to get their money

is general deception and not limited to gains or fraud
to give a line
vsto put one over on
  • Informal
8.0

To tell someone a false story to impress or trick them

is broader deception that is not restricted to flattering tales
to do someone a lemon
vsto put one over on
  • UK
9.9

Trick someone so they end up worse off

is general deception and not necessarily harmful or disadvantageous

Antonyms

to clarify
248 3.3

To make something clear so others can understand it

to enlighten
55 4.8

To give someone clear information to help them understand something

How Deceptive

to swindle
20 5.5
to deceive
270 3.9
to put one over on
  • Informal
4 7.9
to trick
326 3.5
to mislead
87 3.9

Surface Forms

put one over on infinitive
put one over on past
put one over on past participle
putting one over on present participle
puts one over on third person singular

Morphology

put + one + over + on

The meaning 'to deceive or trick someone' is idiomatic and not transparently built from the literal senses of 'put' + 'one' + 'over' + 'on'; the spatial/placement meanings of the parts do not predict deception. This construction requires conventionalized knowledge rather than compositional inference, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents would likely not infer the correct meaning.

Etymology

The idiom put one over on may come from old card games, where a player would literally put one card over another to hide it and fool an opponent. That's why it now means 'to deceive or trick someone'.