Meanings
wile1
plural wiles
- plural normallyA trick or stratagem practiced for ensnaring or deception; a sly, insidious artifice
He was seduced by her wiles.
4 more examples
to frustrate all our plots and wiles
1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLCAgainst the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow-citizens,) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake; since history and experience prove, that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of Republican Government.
1796, George Washington, "Farewell Address", American Daily Advertiser"Anything interesting among your letters, Geoffrey?" asked Miss Tilehurst, concealing a protective curiosity under this sociable wile, since she had already inspected the covers.
1934, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], The Bravo of LondonI don't understand this at all. First, Paige made out with me in the art room, but then she wouldn't hold my hand even though she's the one who came up with the hand-holding rule in the first place, months ago. / Ahh, tale as old as time, beautiful vixen using her wiles to scramble your brains.
2018, Robia Rashid, “Penguin Cam and Chill” (8:07 from the start), in Ryan Case, director, Atypical, season 2, episode 2, spoken by Sam and Zahid (Keir Gilchrist and Nik Dodani), via NetflixSynonyms: beguilement, allurement
present singular third person wiles · participle present wiling · participle past wiled · past wiled
wile2
- misspellingMisspelling of while (“to pass the time”).
Here's a pleasant way to wile away the hours.
1 more example
“A fear of what?” asked the gentleman, who seemed to pity her. “I scarcely know of what,” replied the girl. “I wish I did. Horrible thoughts of death, and shrouds with blood upon them, and a fear that has made me burn as if I was on fire, have been upon me all day. I was reading a book to-night, to wile the time away, and the same things came into the print.”
1838, Boz [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], Oliver Twist; […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC
Wile3
- A surname transferred from the nickname.
- rareA male given name transferred from the surname.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA trick or stratagem practiced for ensnaring or deception; a sly, insidious artifice
More synonyms by meaning
nounthe use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
wile · noun, verb
- Proto-Indo-European*weyk-“to consecrate, hallow, make holy”
- Proto-Germanic*wigulą
- Proto-Indo-European*wey-“to turn, bend”
- Proto-Germanic*wīlą“craft, deceit”
- Old Englishwīl“wile, trick”
- Old Northern Frenchwile“guile”
- Middle Englishwile
- Englishwile
From Middle English wile, wyle, from Old Northern French wile (“guile”) and Old English wīl (“wile, trick”) and wiġle (“divination”), from Proto-Germanic *wīlą (“craft, deceit”) (from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, bend”)) and Proto-Germanic *wigulą, *wihulą (“prophecy”) (from Proto-Indo-European *weyk- (“to consecrate, hallow, make holy”)). Cognate with Icelandic vél, væl (“artifice, craft, device, fraud, trick”), Dutch wijle. Doublet of guile.
More words from Middle English, Old Northern French, Old English
Full word history & related roots →wile · verb
The phrase meaning to pass time idly is while away. We can trace the meaning in an adjectival sense for while back to Old English, hwīlen, "passing, transitory". It is also seen in whilend, "temporary, transitory". But since wile away occurs so often, it is now included in many dictionaries.
Full word history & related roots →Wile · proper noun
- Middle Englishwile
- EnglishWile
From Middle English wile, an occupational surname for a trapper or a nickname for a wily person.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian хитрина, уловка
- хитрина (hitrina)trick or stratagem
- уловка (ulovka)trick or stratagem
Chinese Mandarin 詭計 /诡计, 計策 /计策
- 詭計 /诡计 (guǐjì)trick or stratagem
- 計策 /计策 (jìcè)trick or stratagem
Czech trik, lest
- triktrick or stratagem
- lesttrick or stratagem
- fígltrick or stratagem
Dutch list, fint
- listtrick or stratagem
- finttrick or stratagem
- sluwigheidtrick or stratagem
Finnish kikka
- kikkatrick or stratagem
French ruse, leurre
- rusetrick or stratagem
- leurretrick or stratagem
- tuer le tempsto pass the time
German Schlich
- Schlichtrick or stratagem
Greek πονηριά, τέχνασμα
- πονηριά (poniriá)trick or stratagem
- τέχνασμα (téchnasma)trick or stratagem
Irish meang
- meangtrick or stratagem
Japanese 策略
- 策略 (sakuryaku)trick or stratagem
Latin sūtēla
- sūtēlatrick or stratagem
Māori rauhanga
- rauhangatrick or stratagem
Polish fortel, podstęp
- forteltrick or stratagem
- podstęptrick or stratagem
- sztuczkatrick or stratagem
Russian уло́вка, хи́трость
- уло́вка (ulóvka)trick or stratagem
- хи́трость (xítrostʹ)trick or stratagem
- ухищре́ние (uxiščrénije)trick or stratagem
- трюк (trjuk)trick or stratagem
Ukrainian хи́трість, хитрува́ння
- хи́трість (xýtristʹ)trick or stratagem
- хитрува́ння (xytruvánnja)trick or stratagem
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with wile
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
wile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wile
“wile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wile. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wile,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wile.
Source: wile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.