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leading on

[ˈliːdɪŋ ɒn]
verb (phrasal verb)
enganar; dar falsas esperanças
1. To deceive someone or give them false hope about your feelings or intentions, particularly in romantic contexts
She's been leading him on for months without any intention of dating him.
Ela tem enganado ele durante meses sem nenhuma intenção de namorar com ele.
2. To encourage someone to continue or proceed in a particular direction or action
The detective led the suspect on to get a confession.
O detetive enganou o suspeito para obter uma confissão.
3. To guide or conduct someone forward
She led him on through the dark corridor.
Ela o guiou pelo corredor escuro.
NYC Slang
stringing (someone) along; playing games
Synonyms
deceivingmisleadingstringing alonggiving false hope
Antonyms
being honestbeing straightforwardbeing truthful

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
enganar; dar falsas esperanças
Most common usage in romantic context
Rio de Janeiro
estar com; colocar na linha
Colloquial variation
São Paulo
enganar; iludir
Standard usage
Portugal
enganar; iludir; dar esperanças infundadas
Similar to Brazilian Portuguese but with more formal tone

Related Idioms & Phrases

string someone along
give someone false hope
play games with someone
keep someone on a string
jerk someone around
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