Delude Someone Into Doing vs. Delude Someone To Do
Oxford directly documents “delude somebody/yourself into doing something” for causing a false belief that leads to an action. The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish delude + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
Use “delude someone into doing” for the directly documented pattern; do not infer equal support for “delude someone to do.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| deception causes a person to perform an action | delude someone into doing something | Use into + -ing for the directly documented action pattern. |
| the false belief itself is the focus | delude someone into believing / about something, according to the intended structure | Choose the complement that expresses the belief or subject of the delusion. |
| object + to-infinitive is proposed as the equivalent action complement | do not substitute delude someone to do | The reviewed action-causing pattern is into + -ing. |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Did the delusion cause the person to perform the following action?
If yes: Use “delude someone into doing …”.
If no: If the sentence instead names a false belief or subject, choose a complement that states that relationship rather than a direct to-infinitive.
Caveat: Choose by the documented meaning or construction; a different pattern may be valid in a different sentence structure or variety.
Examples
The false message deluded readers into clicking the wrong link.
The delusion leads to the following action, so into + -ing fits.
He was deluded into believing the task was already complete.
The into + -ing pattern can introduce the resulting belief.
The rumour deluded them about the schedule.
A different complement states what the false belief concerned.
Further guidance
Boundary
The cited entry directly supports into + -ing; it does not establish delude + object + to-infinitive as an equivalent complement pattern.
Construction
Oxford directly documents “delude somebody/yourself into doing something” for causing a false belief that leads to an action.
Decision
Use “delude someone into doing” for the directly documented pattern; do not infer equal support for “delude someone to do.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- delude verb — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Oxford learner-dictionary evidence directly documenting delude + object/reflexive + into + -ing