smokescreen -
A distraction or false front used to mislead or deceive others.
The flashy website and ad campaign turned out to be a smokescreen so people would be distracted from paying attention to the company's declining sales.
noun
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fraud -
Intentional deception for personal or financial gain.
Monty was sentenced to 10 years in jail for tax fraud when the tax man discovered that he had undeclared assets.
noun
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masquerade -
Behavior that is intended to deceive.
Bill was a total narcissist, and his girlfriends eventually found out that his charm and good humor was just a masquerade, and all he wanted was to take.
verb
See noun
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bluff -
Try to deceive someone as to one's abilities or intentions
Tim had a bad poker hand but decided to bluff and bet all of his chips at once.
adjective
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contrived -
Artificial and difficult to believe.
Fred was still considered a prime suspect, because his story about what he did the night of the crime sounded contrived to the detective who interviewed him.
adjective
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flagrant -
The way an action or situation is negative in an open and obvious way
The politician came right out and asked for a bribe in a flagrant violation of the law.
noun
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gimmick -
A trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business
Sales promotions like "buy one, get one free" are a common marketing gimmick.
verb
See noun
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scheme -
Make plans, especially in a devious way or with intent to do something illegal or wrong
The family butler was always polite, but in his mind he was always scheming how to steal the family's jewels.
verb
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exploit -
To take unfair advantage of
At the start of the industrial revolution, factory owners would exploit the workers by giving them low wages and making them work long hours.
adjective
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deceitful -
Intentionally misleading or dishonest.
She realized too late that his charm was just a deceitful cover.
verb
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delude -
To mislead someone into believing something that is not true
The cult's leader deluded his followers into believing he knew the path to Heaven, but it was really the path to Hell.
noun
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alibi -
A claim of innocens due to evidence that someone was somewhere else when a crime took place.
Without a solid alibi, the man became the prime suspect in the case.
