defraud

Synonym Chooser

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 According to the release, Serina Baker-Hill, of Detroit, was charged with allegedly attempting to defraud FEMA and lying to federal agents. Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 13 Mar. 2025 The extension provides critical time to investigate and prosecute fraud, ensuring those who defrauded the government of federal relief funds can still be prosecuted. Jackson Walker, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2025 She’s convicted of conspiring to defraud the U.S. government by concealing undeclared foreign accounts, filing false tax returns and evading taxes over a decade, according to a plea agreement with the Justice Department. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 11 Mar. 2025 The real staffing agency Insight Global posted an alert on its website back in 2022 warning job seekers to not engage with this scam that aims to defraud workers out of money. William Lambers, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for defraud
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defraud
Verb
  • These are distinctions with meaningful differences: Smartphones are full-on computers in the pocket, tempting kids with nonstop streams of posts and videos and music and so much more, including instant access to AI bots that make cheating that much easier.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2025
  • Broner reportedly is said to have cheated a current NBA All-Star out of $1.5 million and a former player out of $5 million in the games.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 21 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • This 2019 retread attempts to squeeze that same emotional response out of viewers, simply by recreating every frame through photorealistic CGI.
    Staff Author, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2025
  • But skyrocketing home prices and stubbornly high mortgage rates in the past few years have squeezed many buyers to the sidelines of the market, raising concerns that this year will see a nationwide drop in sales even during the spring homebuying season.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Those commercial jobs grew scarce because of the consolidation of ad agencies and the rise of marketing content plucked from social media.
    Steven Kurutz, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Whether picked from your garden or plucked from the farmer’s market, fresh asparagus is one of the surest signs of spring.
    Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The brand sponsors hustling to join the crew hope the ride is just getting started.
    Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2025
  • In 2023, his final year with the Boston Red Sox, manager Alex Cora benched him twice, the first time in June for a failure to hustle on the base paths, and then again in August allegedly for showing up late to the ballpark.
    William Lambers, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • With very little time left in the season, how the Lakers respond to Thursday’s stinging defeat could have a significant impact on their playoff outlook.
    Khobi Price, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Bruce was badly bruised by experiences at Newcastle and West Brom, the two jobs that preceded Blackpool where personal criticisms stung.
    Philip Buckingham, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Any clinic that is promising instant, full growth in a few weeks is deceiving you.
    Rowan Briggs, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Holding a lot of cash in the bank may feel like the absolute most comfortable option, but don’t be deceived.
    Eric Roberge, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Discredited art adviser Lisa Schiff, who last year pleaded guilty to bilking her blue-chip clients out of $6.5 million, has been sentenced to thirty months in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release.
    News Desk, Artforum, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Adams bilked the city's public campaign finance program and received $100,000 in free travel to France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary, and Turkey, according to the indictment.
    Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • She was also left with a feeling that she’d been swindled by health care companies into having to pay both physically and emotionally for wanting the best for her son.
    Marquise Francis, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Holmes swindled investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars by falsely claiming her company had invented a device that could run complex medical tests with just a single drop of blood.
    Julia Bonavita, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Defraud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defraud. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on defraud

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!