Synonym Chooser

How does the verb cozen contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cozen are cheat, defraud, and swindle. While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," 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 cheat be a reasonable alternative to cozen?

The words cheat and cozen can be used in similar contexts, but cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

When would defraud be a good substitute for cozen?

In some situations, the words defraud and cozen are roughly equivalent. However, 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 can swindle be used instead of cozen?

While in some cases nearly identical to cozen, swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

Examples 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 cozen The point, however, is not to entertain the driver/employee but to cozen the owner. Dan Neil, WSJ, 19 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cozen
Verb
  • File-sharing phishing attacks, are an email threat in which a cybercriminal legitimate file-hosting or e-signature solutions to deceive the victim.
    Davey Winder, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Listen to this article The U.S. Federal Trade Commission began sending payments to players of Fortnite who were deceived into making unwanted in-game purchases.
    David Matthews, New York Daily News, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Others cast blame, lie, and even cheat to avoid consequences.
    Serenity Gibbons, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Every woman is either a scorned wife, a cheating girlfriend, or a pretty young thing.
    Riann Phillip, Vogue, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • But, don’t be fooled, Jewels intends to enter the competition with intention and strategy.
    Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 4 Dec. 2024
  • The female macaques were soon caught in traps baited with bananas and sweet potatoes, but Capone (who had a $50 bounty on his head) couldn’t be fooled.
    Greg Daugherty, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The group's boat, Geo Barents, arrived at the scene in international waters on Thursday, rescuing 83 men and unaccompanied minors, plucking 70 of them from the sea.
    Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 30 Nov. 2024
  • Related Articles Beyond the Tabby, Coach is offering major discounts on designer handbags done in colorways and shapes plucked from recent runways.
    Claire Sullivan, WWD, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • This is critical, as 2G networks are far less secure than 3G and especially LTE and 5G. Simple network attack devices, which trick phones into jumping from real networks to local, fraudulent ones, try to make a 2G connection with lower encryption levels.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
  • To trick the German forces into believing that a much larger American force was stationed in various locations, diverting attention away from the real operations and damaging enemy morale.
    Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 4 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Read More: The Man Who Could Beat Erdoğan After stinging defeats in local elections in March for his ruling Justice and Development (AK) party, Erdoğan took a step back to process his losses.
    Ian Bremmer, TIME, 24 Nov. 2024
  • Life in the world’s most polluted city The sky in New Delhi is enveloped with smog, leaving many residents with persistent coughs, lung issues and stinging eyes.
    Alexandra Banner, CNN, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Reusable Pizza Storage Container (5-Pack) This triangular container is way easier to squeeze into the fridge than a bulky pizza box.
    Jessica Kasparian, SELF, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Translated, the budget pressures that Fitch expects to continue squeezing higher education are coming from rising costs and stagnant public support and not necessarily from market retraction.
    Derek Newton, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • As the clock ticked on with under 30 seconds remaining, Williams hustled to get the offense set before throwing a pass as time expired which fell incomplete to Rome Odunze meaning the game was over and the Bears lost.
    Ben Morse, CNN, 29 Nov. 2024
  • The men, many of whom are retired and in their 70s and 80s, hustle across the county to feed more than 200 people.
    Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 27 Nov. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near cozen

Cite this Entry

“Cozen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cozen. Accessed 17 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!