How do you use the word "trick" in a sentence?

Here are real-life examples of using "trick": Mike played a bad trick on his brother. The pianist played a trick on the audience.

Trick Meaning

/ˈtɹɪk/

Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Definition

nounSomething designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle.

nounA single element of a magician's (or any variety entertainer's) act; a magic trick.

Sentence Examples

Mike played a bad trick on his brother.

The pianist played a trick on the audience.

They had to think of a trick to get past the guards.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms:

fox

Antonyms:

None

CEFR Practice Quiz

The clown played a funny ____ on his friend by hiding his hat.

CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)

The magician performed an amazing card ____ that completely baffled the audience during his performance last night today.

Word Origin & History

From Middle English trikke, from Old Northern French trique (related to Old French trichier (“to defraud, act dishonestly, conceal, deceive, cheat”); > modern French tricher), itself possibly from Middle High German trechen (“to launch a shot at, play a trick on”), or one of its derivatives (e.g. Middle High German ūftrechen (“to do something to someone, hurt someone”), vertrechen (“to conceal, get over on someone”), zuotrechen (“to obtain falsely or deceitfully, wangle, finagle”), etc.); yet the Old French verb is equally likely to be derived from Vulgar Latin *triccāre, from Late Latin tricāre, from Latin trīcor, trīcārī (“dodge, search for detours; haggle, quibble”). The term has been connected to Middle Dutch treck, trec (“draw, line, desire, game move, cord, stratagem, ruse, trick”), from Middle Dutch trekken, trēken (“to pull, place, put, move”), from Old Dutch *trekken, *trekan (“to move, drag”), from Proto-Germanic *trakjaną, *trekaną (“to drag, scrape, pull”), from Proto-Indo-European *dreg- (“to drag, scrape”). If they are related, trick would be cognate with Low German trekken, Middle High German trecken, trechen, Danish trække, and Old Frisian trekka, Romanian truc and other Romance languages. Compare track, treachery, trig, and trigger.

Literary Quotations & Historical Citations

"Yo-yo tricks involving sleeping the yo-yo (like "walking the dog" and "rocking the baby") cannot be performed in space." — 1995, All Aboard for Space: Introducing Space to Youngsters, page 158:

"Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field." — 2013 July 20, “Welcome to the plastisphere”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845:

"He hath a trick of Cœur de Lion's face." — c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i]:

"The trick of that voice I do well remember." — c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene vi]:

"I cannot tell , but it stirs me more than all your court curls , or your spangles , or your tricks" — 1601, Ben Jonson, Poetaster or The Arraignment: […], London: […] [R. Bradock] for M[atthew] L[ownes] […], published 1602, →OCLC, (please specify the page), (please specify the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

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