Thesaurus results for SWINDLE

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

Some common synonyms of swindle are cheat , cozen , and defraud . While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence. // swindled of their savings by con artists

Q: When would 'cheat' be a good substitute for 'swindle'?

The words cheat and swindle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation. // cheated me out of a dollar

Q: When might 'cozen' be a better fit than 'swindle'?

The synonyms cozen and swindle are sometimes interchangeable, 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: When could 'defraud' be used to replace 'swindle'?

The meanings of defraud and swindle largely overlap; 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

swindle 1 of 2

noun

Definition of swindle next

as in scam

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

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swindle

2 of 2

verb

ˈswin-dᵊl

as in to cheat

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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb swindle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of swindle are cheat, cozen, and defraud. While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

When would cheat be a good substitute for swindle?

The words cheat and swindle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

When might cozen be a better fit than swindle?

The synonyms cozen and swindle are sometimes interchangeable, 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

When could defraud be used to replace swindle?

The meanings of defraud and swindle largely overlap; 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

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 swindle

Noun

Amex executives later realized the swindle was the greatest public-relations event in its history. —

Phil Wahba, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2024 After winning an election marred by intimidation and manipulation of the voter rolls, among other electoral swindles, Mugabe’s government reverted to its default setting and embarked on a reckless spending spree that swelled the budget deficit to 25 percent of GDP. —

Tendai Biti, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2019

Verb

Two different scammers connected with Rosalie and swindled her out of a staggering $430,000. —

Kim Komando, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2024 Washington’s tactical performance of Macrinus aims to swindle Paul Mescal as Maximus’s son and potential heir, Lucius Verus. —

Malik Peay, Essence, 3 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for swindle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swindle

Noun

According to spam-blocking service YouMail, US homeowners might be receiving about 5,000 calls each week related to mortgage impersonation scams, the FCC further noted.

Michael Kan, PCMAG, 14 Jan. 2025
According to the online marketing firm Authority Hacker, Americans lost over $108 million to scams that involved AI in the last year and 45 percent of AI fraud scams led to financial losses, with an average loss of $14,600.

Marni Rose McFall, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025