feint

Meaning

Noun

1. (often) A movement made to confuse an opponent; a dummy.
2. A blow, thrust, or other offensive movement resembling an attack on some part of the body, intended to distract from a real attack on another part.
3. (figuratively) Something feigned; a false or pretend appearance; a pretence or stratagem.

Verb

1. (transitive) To direct (a blow, thrust, or other offensive movement resembling an attack) on some part of the body, intended to distract from a real attack on another part.
2. (rare, transitive) To direct a feint or mock attack against (someone).
3. (also, intransitive, often) To make a feint or mock attack.

Adj

1. (also, not-comparable, often) Of an attack or offensive movement: directed toward a different part from the intended strike.
2. (not-comparable, obsolete) Feigned, counterfeit, fake.

Adj

Of lines printed on paper as a handwriting guide: not bold; faint, light; also, of such paper: ruled with faint lines of this sort.

Synonyms

pretense

diversion

fake

simulation

pretence

trick

sham

deception

make believe

affectation

artifice

pretend

wile

ruse

false

feign

feigned

flanging

front

magic

🪄

maneuver

mislead

plant

🌱

pretension

red herring

restraint

screen

semitone

simulate

stratagem

strategem

wiles

feinted edge

pretense

act

pretence

affect

artificiality

check

constraint

deceive

deke

delude

disguise

disorientate

dissimulation

divert

dodge

faint

Translations

finta

feinte

finta

Finte

feinter

finta

treta

Verstellung

προσποιούμαι

amago

fare un attacco simulato

attacco simulato

fare una finta

schijnbeweging

προσποίηση

Pronounced as (IPA)

/feɪnt/

Etymology

Cognate with Italian: finta

Cognate with Occitan: fencha

Cognate with Old Spanish: finta

Cognate with Spanish: finta

In summary

The noun is borrowed from French feinte (“dummy, feint”), from feindre (“to fake, feign”), from Old French feindre, faindre, from Latin fingere, the present active infinitive of fingō (“to alter the truth to deceive, dissemble, feign, pretend; to fashion, form, shape”).
The verb is derived from the noun.
Cognates
* Italian finta
* Occitan fencha, fenha
* Old Spanish finta (modern Spanish finta (“dummy, feint”))