Thesaurus results for SWINDLES

swindles 1 of 2

noun

plural of swindle

as in scams

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value identity theft has become one of the most frequent and feared swindles of our time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

swindles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of swindle

as in cheats

to rob by the use of trickery or threats hundreds of people were swindled out of their savings, and all they had to show for it were fake land deeds

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 swindles

Noun

In a case pending in federal court in Oakland, California, three Facebook users allege that the company profits from online swindles at the expense of users. — David Ingram, NBC news, 12 May 2026 Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions — collectively known as hoaxes. — Scott Neuman, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025 These swindles are not only highly organized but also systematized. — Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 19 Sep. 2022

Verb

This period comedy set in England in the 1930s stars Ben Radcliffe as a thief who swindles his way into a hall boy position at posh Fackham Hall, only to hook up with the daughter of the house and finagle his way into a position of privilege. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026 He gets chased by cops, swindles the wrong ping-pong goobers and becomes embroiled in a canine extortion scheme. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swindles

Noun

Authorities also obtained assistance from multiple banks and reviewed security camera footage, financial records and body camera footage from previous investigations involving similar scams.

— Sergio Candido, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
The other is a survey YouGov conducted for Google of some 4,500 smartphone users about their experiences with scams, which suggests iPhone users are more likely to get conned.

— Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of scams

Verb

The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Any forward who cheats for defence, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has for much of his career, will play an elevated role on a Babcock team.

— Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of cheats

Noun

Only once the Buffs emptied offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s playbook, there was nothing left to fire at McGuire’s frauds.

— Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026
In my phishing protection test, Avira successfully detected and defeated 100% of real-world phishing frauds.

— Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of frauds

Verb

Jessica Gonzalez hustles behind her booth at the recent Renegade Craft Fair, frantically ringing up sales, answering questions and packaging her beeswax candles.

— Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Despite concerns that chip stocks could be topping out as the industry hustles to boost supply, Wall Street thinks Micron still has plenty of room to run.

— Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 June 2026

Definition of hustles

Verb

Trump sometimes plucks memes from a sprawling ecosystem of online conservative supporters, and sometimes his government staff produces them as part of their official messaging.

— Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.

— Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

Definition of plucks

Verb

But as the Iran war squeezes Republicans ahead of the midterms, Democrats are aligning to call for the defense secretary’s ouster or resignation.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
That wrestling match itself, however, makes for compelling theater about as often as the camel squeezes through the needle.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

Clement famously tried to get the Supreme Court to overturn President Obama's signature health care law, a loss that still stings.

— Carrie Johnson, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
General Mills spun off Darden Restaurants in 1995, and then Darden sold Red Lobster in 2014, in a deal with the private equity firm Golden Gate Capital that still stings many veterans to this day.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of stings

Browse Nearby Words

swindlers

swindles

swindling

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Swindles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swindles. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of swindles

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes