wile (waɪl
)
Definitions
noun
- trickery, cunning, or craftiness
- (usually plural) an artful or seductive trick or ploy
verb
- (tr) to lure, beguile, or entice
Word Origin
C12: from Old Norse vel craft; probably related to Old French wīle, Old English wīgle magic. See guileSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
cunning,
craft,
fraud,
cheating,
guile,
artifice,
trickery,
chicanery,
craftiness,
artfulness,
slyness,
=
ploys,
tricks,
devices,
lures,
manoeuvres,
dodges,
ruses,
artifices,
subterfuges,
stratagems,
contrivances,
impositions,
Usage examples
"I might have been talking of a library book which had helped wile away an unimportant hour or two.
, Absolute Truths (1994)To wile away the Prairie miles, the two talked politics, the economy and, of course, Western estrangement.
Globe and Mail (2003)