feint
Of an attack or offensive movement: directed toward a different part from the intended…Of an attack or offensive movement: directed toward a different part from the intended strike.
» The swordswoman feinted to the left before striking right.
mollydot · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
3 senses(also, not comparable, often)Of an attack or offensive movement: directed toward a different part from the intended strike.
(not comparable)Of lines printed on paper as a handwriting guide: not bold; faint, light; also, of such paper: ruled with faint lines of this sort.
(not comparable, obsolete)Feigned, counterfeit, fake.
Examples
4 sentencesThe swordswoman feinted to the left before striking right.
Mary would feint innocence, pretending she had turned in her assignments when in actuality she hadn't completed them.
Mary made a feint to Tom's right, then struck a blow of her sword to his left arm.
Mary feinted a strike to Tom's face, but then swiftly struck his torso with the tip of her sabre.
Origin
Borrowed from French feint, the past participle of feindre (“to fake, feign”): see etymoloBorrowed from French feint, the past participle of feindre (“to fake, feign”): see etymology 1.
A variant of faint (“barely perceptible; not bright, loud, or sharp”).
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