Meanings
present singular third person beguiles · participle present beguiling · participle past beguiled · past beguiled · alternative begyle · alternative bigyle · alternative bi-gyle
- transitiveTo deceive or delude (using guile).
I know, sir, I am no flatterer: he that beguiled you, in a plain accent, was a plain knave.
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 II, scene ii], line 1021 more example
And as wililye as thoſe ſhrewes that beguyle hym haue holpe hym to inuolue and intryke the matter: I ſhall vſe ſo playn and open a way therin, that euery man ſhall well ſee the trouth.
1533 (date written), Thomas More, “The Debellacyon of Salem and Bizance […]. Chapter XVIJ.”, in Wyllyam Rastell [i.e., William Rastell], editor, The Workes of Sir Thomas More Knyght, […], London: […] Iohn Cawod, Iohn Waly, and Richarde Tottell, published 30 April 1557, →OCLC, page 1004, column 2 - transitiveTo charm, delight or captivate.
I will never touch The Orb, even though its mysterious glow seduces and beguiles.
1 more example
1864 November 21, Abraham Lincoln (signed) or John Hay, letter to Mrs. Bixby in Boston I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming.
- transitiveTo cause (time) to seem to pass quickly, by way of pleasant diversion.
We beguiled the hours away.
2 more examples
They beguiled the time by backbiting and intriguing against each other in a foolish kind of way.
1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 213They beguile the tedium of this enforced leisure by weaving baskets and playing on certain sacred flutes.
1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 11, page 241
Synonyms & antonyms
verbattract; cause to be enamored
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishbegilen
- Englishbeguile
From Middle English begilen, begylen; equivalent to be- + guile. Compare Middle Dutch begilen (“to beguile”). Doublet of bewile.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κηλέω
- κηλέω (kēléō)to charm, delight, or captivate
Catalan embetumar, enganyar
- embetumarto deceive or delude (using guile)
- enganyarto deceive or delude (using guile)
- captivarto charm, delight, or captivate
Chinese Mandarin 欺騙 /欺骗, 欺瞞 /欺瞒
- 欺騙 /欺骗 (qīpiàn)to deceive or delude (using guile)
- 欺瞞 /欺瞒 (qīmán)to deceive or delude (using guile)
- 迷人 (mírén)to charm, delight, or captivate
Dutch misleiden, bedriegen
- misleidento deceive or delude (using guile)
- bedriegento deceive or delude (using guile)
- verrukkento charm, delight, or captivate
- vervoerento charm, delight, or captivate
Estonian peibutama, meeldivalt mööda saatma
- peibutamato deceive or delude (using guile)
- meeldivalt mööda saatmato charm, delight, or captivate
Finnish hämätä, johtaa harhaan
- hämätäto deceive or delude (using guile)
- johtaa harhaanto deceive or delude (using guile)
- pettääto deceive or delude (using guile)
- hurmatato charm, delight, or captivate
- viekoitellato charm, delight, or captivate
French duper, tromper
- duperto deceive or delude (using guile)
- tromperto deceive or delude (using guile)
- induire en erreurto deceive or delude (using guile)
- exalterto charm, delight, or captivate
- emporterto charm, delight, or captivate
- ravirto charm, delight, or captivate
German irreleiten, irreführen
- irreleitento deceive or delude (using guile)
- irreführento deceive or delude (using guile)
- in die Irre führento deceive or delude (using guile)
- betörento charm, delight, or captivate
- verführento charm, delight, or captivate
Greek παραπλανώ, εξαπατώ
- παραπλανώ (paraplanó)to deceive or delude (using guile)
- εξαπατώ (exapató)to deceive or delude (using guile)
- διασκεδάζω (diaskedázo)to charm, delight, or captivate
Italian ingannare, turlupinare
- ingannareto deceive or delude (using guile)
- turlupinareto deceive or delude (using guile)
- incantareto charm, delight, or captivate
- distogliereto charm, delight, or captivate
- sedurreto charm, delight, or captivate
- adulareto charm, delight, or captivate
- lusingareto charm, delight, or captivate
Latin decipio
- decipioto deceive or delude (using guile)
Māori whakakonuka, whakatūaho
- whakakonukato deceive or delude (using guile)
- whakatūahoto deceive or delude (using guile)
- ātahuto charm, delight, or captivate
- kohinuto charm, delight, or captivate
Norwegian Bokmål lokke, friste
- lokketo deceive or delude (using guile)
- fristeto deceive or delude (using guile)
- forlokketo deceive or delude (using guile)
Portuguese enganar, entreter
- enganarto deceive or delude (using guile)
- entreterto charm, delight, or captivate
- distrairto charm, delight, or captivate
- encantarto charm, delight, or captivate
Romanian înșela, ademeni
- înșelato deceive or delude (using guile)
- ademenito deceive or delude (using guile)
- amăgito deceive or delude (using guile)
- încântato charm, delight, or captivate
- captivato charm, delight, or captivate
- fermecato charm, delight, or captivate
Russian обма́нывать, обману́ть
- обма́нывать (obmányvatʹ)to deceive or delude (using guile)
- обману́ть (obmanútʹ)to deceive or delude (using guile)
- очаро́вывать (očaróvyvatʹ)to charm, delight, or captivate
- очарова́ть (očarovátʹ)to charm, delight, or captivate
Spanish engañar, cautivar
- engañarto deceive or delude (using guile)
- cautivarto charm, delight, or captivate
Turkish kanına girmek, yoldan çıkarmak
- kanına girmekto deceive or delude (using guile)
- yoldan çıkarmakto deceive or delude (using guile)
- ayartmakto deceive or delude (using guile)
- baştan çıkarmakto deceive or delude (using guile)
- ayartmakto charm, delight, or captivate
Ukrainian обма́нювати, підма́нювати
- обма́нювати (obmánjuvaty)to deceive or delude (using guile)
- підма́нювати (pidmánjuvaty)to deceive or delude (using guile)
- обдури́ти (obdurýty)to deceive or delude (using guile)
- причаро́вувати (pryčaróvuvaty)to charm, delight, or captivate
- прина́джувати (prynádžuvaty)to charm, delight, or captivate
- зачаро́вувати (začaróvuvaty)to charm, delight, or captivate
Vietnamese dụ dỗ, mê hoặc
- dụ dỗto deceive or delude (using guile)
- mê hoặcto charm, delight, or captivate
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with beguile
Cite this entry
beguile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beguile
“beguile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beguile. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “beguile,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/beguile.
Source: beguile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.