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Feign vs Feint - What's the difference?

feign | feint |

As verbs the difference between feign and feint

is that feign is to make a false copy or version of; to counterfeit while feint is to make a feint, or mock attack.

As an adjective feint is

feigned; counterfeit.

As a noun feint is

a movement made to confuse the opponent, a dummy.

feign

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To make a false copy or version of; to counterfeit.
    • The pupil feigned sickness on the day of his exam.
    They feigned her signature on the cheque.
  • To imagine; to invent; to pretend.
    • He feigned that he had gone home at the appointed time.
  • To make an action as if doing one thing, but actually doing another, for example to trick an opponent.
  • * 2013 , Daniel Taylor, Rickie Lambert's debut goal gives England victory over Scotland'' (in ''The Guardian , 14 August 2013)[http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/aug/14/england-scotland-international-friendly]
    • Cahill was beaten far too easily for Miller's goal, although the striker deserves the credit for the way he controlled Alan Hutton's right-wing delivery, with his back to goal, feigned to his left then went the other way and pinged a splendid left-foot shot into Hart's bottom right-hand corner.
  • To hide or conceal.
    • Jessica feigned the fact that she had not done her homework.

    Synonyms

    * (represent by a false appearance) front, put on airs

    feint

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make a feint, or mock attack.
    • (to make a counterfeit move to confuse an opponent) * Chinese: *: Mandarin: * Finnish: (t) (trans-mid) * Maori: (t), (t), (t), * Russian: * Swedish: (trans-bottom)

    Adjective

    (-)
  • (obsolete) Feigned; counterfeit.
  • * John Locke
    • Dressed up into any feint appearance of it.
  • (fencing, boxing, war) (of an attack) directed toward a different part from the intended strike

    • Noun

    (en noun)
  • A movement made to confuse the opponent, a dummy
  • That which is feigned; an assumed or false appearance; a pretense; a stratagem; a fetch.
  • * Spectator
    • Courtley's letter is but a feint to get off.
  • (fencing, boxing, war) An offensive movement resembling an attack in all but its continuance
  • The narrowest rule used in the production of lined writing paper (C19: Variant of FAINT)