What does tricked mean?
Tricked is the past tense and past participle of trick, used when someone has been deceived, cheated, or outwitted. It is especially common in phrases such as "tricked into doing something" and "tricked out of something," where the word identifies a person who was manipulated into an action or loss. The word can function as a past-tense verb, as in "The vendor tricked the customer," but it is often used adjectivally to describe the person affected: "She felt tricked." It is neutral in register, though it often carries a connotation of deliberate unfairness or cunning rather than a harmless mistake. It appears in both British and American English with broadly the same meaning. Context is important because "tricked" can place either emphasis on the deceived person or on the act of deception. The related word "tricky" is different: it describes something deceptive or difficult rather than a person who has been deceived.
To deceive, cheat, or outwit someone, especially by causing them to act in a mistaken way.
"The con artist tricked several customers into paying for nonexistent products."
This is the simple past tense of trick. It is transitive and commonly takes an object.
Having been deceived, cheated, or outwitted; often used in a passive or participial construction.
"She felt tricked after discovering that the invoice was fraudulent."
Often used with "into" or "out of," as in "tricked into paying" and "tricked out of her savings."
The plot twist: "tricked" describes the person who was deceived, while "tricky" describes the deception itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tricked come from?
The form is the past tense and past participle of the English verb trick. The verb entered English from an Old North French form meaning "to deceive," whose further ancestry is commonly linked to Latin but remains uncertain. Trickery, trickster, and tricky are later English developments sharing the same source.
Related word forms
How tricked is actually used
The word is neutral to informal in register and often implies deliberate deception or unfairness. In constructions such as "tricked into" and "tricked out of," it functions as a passive or participial adjective.
Easily confused with tricked
Tricked describes someone who has been deceived, whereas tricky describes something deceptive, misleading, or difficult to handle.