American
[feynt] / feɪnt /
noun
-
feints
plural
-
a movement made in order to deceive an adversary; an attack aimed at one place or point merely as a distraction from the real place or point of attack.
military feints; the feints of a skilled fencer.
-
a feigned or assumed appearance.
His air of approval was a feint to conceal his real motives.
verb (used without object)
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feints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feinted,
past participle, past
-
feinting
present participle
-
to make a feint.
He feinted left, then struck his opponent with a roar.
verb (used with object)
-
feints,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feinted,
past participle, past
-
feinting
present participle
-
to make a feint at; deceive with a feint.
-
to make a false show of; simulate.
feint 1 British
/ feɪnt /
noun
-
a mock attack or movement designed to distract an adversary, as in a military manoeuvre or in boxing, fencing, etc
-
a misleading action or appearance
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
verb
-
(intr) to make a feint
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
feint 2 British
/ feɪnt /
noun
-
printing the narrowest rule used in the production of ruled paper
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Conjugated Forms
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feint
simple
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feints
simple
-
have feinted
perfect
-
has feinted
perfect
-
am feinting
progressive
-
are feinting
progressive
-
is feinting
progressive
-
have been feinting
perfect progressive
-
has been feinting
perfect progressive
Etymology
Origin of feint
First recorded in 1670–80; from French feinte, from Old French feinte “fabrication,” noun use of feminine of feint “pretended,” past participle of feindre; see origin at feign
Explanation
Did you ever tell your parents you were going off to school, grabbed your book bag, and headed out the door...only to spend the rest of the day hanging out with your friends? Well, that was a feint, a super sneaky move designed to fool someone. Although military and political tactics are big on feints, their most common use is probably in sports — particularly boxing, where opponents are continually trying to fake each other out. As in Dundee's account of an Ali-Frazier match: "Ali feinted with a jab, and Frazier threw one of his own, missing." Not to be confused with faint, meaning "weak or feeble." However, a feint can be deliberately faint, as Ali knew and Frazier found out when the real right hook made contact.
Keep Reading on Vocabulary.comVocabulary lists containing feint
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
feint feints feinted feinting
But this is all a feint: The movie sets you up for one thing and then delivers another.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
There is no strict definition of a stutter, but under Fifa rules, a player is allowed to stop or feint during the run-up as long as they don't do it directly before kicking the ball.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Perhaps this is a feint in some grand art of the deal.
From Salon ● Feb. 26, 2025
On a metatextual level, the show is itself a masterful feint.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2024
Blue Eyes reversed from her feint and surged toward Sadna in a flash of steel.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
War is filled with flopping, feints and trickery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
It was the culmination of a series of feints and bluffs in the preceding hours and days as the former reality TV star kept the world guessing.
From Barron's ● Feb. 28, 2026
He cites improvements in "footwork, defence, staying calm on fight night", adding that experience has allowed him to put combinations, body work and feints together more naturally.
From BBC ● Dec. 18, 2025
The narrative is less sucker punch than brilliant feints and jabs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2025
Marcus feints left with his scim, and when Helene counters, he grins.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Kvaratskhelia feinted to run in behind, then dropped short, then looked to run in behind, dropped short again before eventually running in behind.
From BBC ● May 30, 2026
Elmas feinted past Mamadou Coulibaly on the left side of the area before curling into the far bottom corner.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 4, 2023
At the end of the first half, Brown feinted a drive that rocked Ute defender Both Gach off balance before stepping back for a contested 22-foot three-pointer that splashed through the net as time expired.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 2, 2022
Lang hammered his entrance like the first hard few drops of an incoming storm and just as quickly feinted into an airy, gentle touch, from the ground to the clouds in an instant.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 19, 2021
Kate feinted to the side—moving as if to flee—and when Martina lunged to stop her, Kate snared her ankle with the lasso and jerked her off her feet.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
The fight started with the Briton pushing forward, as he would throughout the following 25 minutes, feinting and landing leg kicks, while chants of "Colby, Colby" rung out around the arena.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2023
The senior pulled out to the elbow before feinting right, going left, dusting her defender and streaking to the goal.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 27, 2023
They envision themselves bobbing and weaving, triangulating and feinting — filling the air with meaningless cliches so that no one knows where they stand and no one can hold them accountable.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 26, 2023
Moore for a 10-yard score — a pass made possible by Newton stepping up in the pocket, feinting a scramble to draw in the safety to leave Moore open.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 21, 2021
So she flourished it, feinting to right and left, not intending to hit him at all, and he didn’t move.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.