Thesaurus results for DEFRAUD

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

Q: 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

defraud

verb

di-ˈfrȯd

Definition of defraud

as in to cheat

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

Relevance

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 Evidence also confirmed the transfers were made with actual intent to defraud creditors. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 In March, the owner of a Colorado funeral home was sentenced to 18 years in prison for mishandling nearly 190 dead bodies, cheating customers and defrauding the federal government through loan applications. — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 6 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 Connor likens this case, about schools defrauding borrowers, to the historic settlement against Big Tobacco. — Cory Turner, NPR, 31 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for defraud

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defraud

Verb

Last year, Anthropic found that if a model is allowed to cheat during training, the cheating becomes a habit.

— Craig S. Smith, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
Tae-ha’s mom left him after Sang-gil, who was also a boxer prior to becoming a thug, cheated in a match.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheat

Verb

Cheap electric cars dominate one end of the market, Tesla occupies the premium end, and the middle is getting squeezed.

— Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Washington is trying to choke Iran's ability to get its crude out while Tehran is squeezing the artery through which everybody else's crude gets through.

— Frank Andrews, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of squeeze

Verb

Doubs plucked the ball over Gonzalez, who had successfully backed him near the boundary but couldn’t box out the 6-foot-2 receiver entirely.

— Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2026
This machine will actually press the strings down between frets and pluck those strings in time, like a human guitarist.

— Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of pluck

Verb

Such a lease, however, would disqualify a hospice from obtaining a license, and a provider would need to intentionally deceive inspectors to disguise a day office, experts said.

— Jason Henry, Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026
Someone who has maintained an entire second family has demonstrated a willingness to deceive you over an extended period of time.

— Jann Blackstone, Boston Herald, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of deceive

Verb

Sophisticated online fraud schemes, operating from industrial-scale scam centers in Southeast Asia, are bilking Americans out of billions of dollars each year.

— Editorial Board, Washington Post, 8 Aug. 2026
Jason Cloth, a film producer with dozens of credits including Joker, Longlegs and Babylon, is facing numerous federal fraud charges and decades in prison in connection with a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors of more than $100 million.

— Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 29 July 2026

Definition of bilk

Verb

Such scams appear to be becoming more common; since late June, the cities of Mountain View and Fremont have both issued news releases about similar attempts to swindle city funds intended for developers.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
In April, Jones, 49, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role to defraud major sportsbooks, including DraftKings and FanDuel, and swindle millions of dollars from poker players.

— Chloe Atkins, NBC news, 1 July 2026

Definition of swindle

Browse Nearby Words

deforms

defraud

defrauded

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Defraud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defraud. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of defraud

verb

Synonym Chooser

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on defraud

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

zeugma

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes