defrauded

verb

past tense of defraud
as in cheated
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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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 defrauded In all, prosecutors said more than 40 victims were defrauded of hundreds of thousands of dollars. — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 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 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 Evidence showed that Christian was running a check kiting ring that defrauded multiple Connecticut banks of more than $350,000, according to court records. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026 Five residents of Broward and Palm Beach County are among seven people accused in a nearly $100 million scheme that defrauded workers’ compensation insurers through shell companies, state officials announced Wednesday. — Angie Dimichele, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026 Some immigrants requested more time before their next hearings, presenting evidence of having been defrauded by unscrupulous attorneys profiled in local news reports. — ABC News, 1 Aug. 2026 The institutions defrauded Veterans Affairs while cheating thousands out of career training, with some offering training on how to grow grass and make fake rocks, a Post investigation found. — Andrew Ba Tran, Washington Post, 22 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defrauded
  1. cheated
  2. plucked
  3. stung
  4. hustled
  5. squeezed
  6. screwed
  7. swindled
  8. deceived
Verb
  • The rest of us just got the surface, but who could feel cheated?
    — Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Child safety advocates and some parents have welcomed age restrictions, while privacy groups say the rules can be cheated and that forcing users to supply identification raises privacy concerns.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheated
Verb
  • But for guests seeking deeper immersion in nature, the wildflower garden with more than 200 plant species looks like it was plucked straight from a fairy tale.
    — Brian Cicioni, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The Muir swivel chair in oxblood velvet feels plucked out of a Hollywood Regency–style boutique hotel lobby.
    — Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of plucked
Verb
  • And the harsh reviews from her fellow breakers weren’t even what stung Gunn the most.
    — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
  • As a young Black woman, the betrayal stung as much as a rejection by any guy.
    — Sarah Jones, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of stung
Verb
  • 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
  • Two of the men quickly hopped up and hustled down the sidewalk, while the third sat for a second before replacing the manhole cover, and walked away, the video shows.
    — John Annese, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of hustled
Verb
  • America’s aging farmers have been holding on to machinery for longer than usual as low crop prices and rising costs squeezed their finances.
    — Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Officials said the bears appeared to have squeezed through a 1-foot-wide opening in the concrete structure (likely seeking water during hot, humid weather) and then couldn’t get back out.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of squeezed
Verb
  • My husband recently screwed over his business partner by taking significantly more of the profit for himself.
    — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The hardest physical part was actually taking down the old blinds, which had been screwed tightly into the window frame years prior.
    — Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of screwed
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
  • While the men whom Chen allegedly swindled began to grow suspicious of her actions around 2024, the Clark County Marriage Bureau reported her to the police, resulting in the launch of an investigation around the same time.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026
Definition of swindled
Verb
  • Now some say the operation has left them feeling deceived and questioning whether the White House considered their safety.
    — Scott Nover, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2026
  • White House pool reporters deceived Advertisement McDonald pushed back on the idea that Air Force One and the people still aboard it, including journalists, were left exposed.
    — Philip Wang, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of deceived

Browse Nearby Words

defraud
defrauded
defrauder
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Cite this Entry

“Defrauded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defrauded. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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