Thesaurus results for DEFRAUD

Q: How does the verb 'defraud' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of defraud are cheat , cozen , and swindle . While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," defraud stresses depriving one of his or her rights and usually connotes deliberate perversion of the truth. // defrauded of her inheritance by an unscrupulous lawyer

Q: When might 'cheat' be a better fit than 'defraud'?

While in some cases nearly identical to defraud , cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation. // cheated me out of a dollar

Q: When would 'cozen' be a good substitute for 'defraud'?

The words cozen and defraud can be used in similar contexts, but cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose. // always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

Q: Where would 'swindle' be a reasonable alternative to 'defraud'?

In some situations, the words swindle and defraud are roughly equivalent. However, swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence. // swindled of their savings by con artists

defraud

verb

di-ˈfrȯd

Definition of defraud

as in to cheat

to rob by the use of trickery or threats senior citizens generally were too smart to fall for the fast-talking salesman's attempts to defraud them

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the verb defraud contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of defraud are cheat, cozen, and swindle. While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," defraud stresses depriving one of his or her rights and usually connotes deliberate perversion of the truth.

defrauded of her inheritance by an unscrupulous lawyer

When might cheat be a better fit than defraud?

While in some cases nearly identical to defraud, cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

When would cozen be a good substitute for defraud?

The words cozen and defraud can be used in similar contexts, but cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose.

always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

Where would swindle be a reasonable alternative to defraud?

In some situations, the words swindle and defraud are roughly equivalent. However, swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of defraud Two men, one of whom posed as a player for the San Francisco 49ers, have been arrested and charged in a scheme that allegedly defrauded more than two dozen women out of more than $1 million, federal authorities said. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026 In May, Kapoor pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to defraud the United States for failing to remit his employees’ payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare benefits between 2020 and 2022. — Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 Operation Riptide was launched in June to combat cybercrime, which defrauded Americans out of more than $20 billion last year, according to the FBI. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026 On May 15, the EKL learned that scammers, acting through their chief accountant, defrauded their Swedbank and SEB bank accounts of nearly $800,000 in government subsidies via an elaborate scheme disguised as salary payments. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for defraud

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defraud

Verb

Written and rendered by dudes who longed for unlimited success, these are songs about cheating and being cheated on and trying but failing to be content, or love as lived amid capitalist indulgence.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
Cheaters gonna cheat The first step was creating a message board that allowed the agents to pass notes to each other.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheat

Verb

The Middle East war and the resulting shipping disruption through the Strait of Hormuz drove up global commodity costs, further squeezing Beijing's own appetite for commodity imports.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
Independent designers, once a discovery engine, were being squeezed, while the biggest brands put more investment into their own stores, creating a dichotomy in experiences that Bron felt was palpable.

— Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of squeeze

Verb

Jake Mangum singled to left but rookie Joshua Baez misplayed it and then didn’t hustle after it.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
Officers hustled the residents, including the children, out of the home, while Walsh and the second officer found the suspect hiding in a bathroom.

— Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of hustle

Verb

As a young Black woman, the betrayal stung as much as a rejection by any guy.

— Sarah Jones, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2026
The bugs, particularly ticks, ants, mosquitoes and stinging insects, are going to take full advantage thanks to warmer temperatures, according to the National Pest Management Associations (NPMA)'s biannual Bug Barometer®.

— Alora Bopray, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of sting

Verb

Sophisticated online fraud schemes, operating from industrial-scale scam centers in Southeast Asia, are bilking Americans out of billions of dollars each year.

— Editorial Board, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2026
Jason Cloth, a film producer with dozens of credits including Joker, Longlegs and Babylon, is facing numerous federal fraud charges and decades in prison in connection with a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors of more than $100 million.

— Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 29 July 2026

Definition of bilk

Verb

Other gamblers just don’t want to get swindled, so anything that smacks too clearly of insider trading can get you in trouble.

— Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Far from fighting scams in America’s federal health system, this president has granted clemency to hundreds of people convicted of health care fraud, including more than 10 executives convicted of specifically swindling Medicare.

— Max Taves, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of swindle

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deforms

defraud

defrauded

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“Defraud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defraud. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of defraud

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