bilk

¹bilk

transitive verb \ˈbilk\

Definition of BILK

1

: to block the free development of : frustrate <fate bilks their hopes>

2

a : to cheat out of something valuable : defraud

b : to evade payment of or to <bilks his creditors>

3

: to slip away from <bilked her pursuers>

— bilk·er noun

Examples of BILK

1. <an investigation revealed that the garage had been bilking motorists for repairs that had never been made>

Origin of BILK

perhaps alteration of ²balk

First Known Use: 1647

Related to BILK

Synonyms

beat, fleece, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, flimflam, gaff, gyp, hose [slang], hustle, mulct, nobble [British slang], pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimize

Related Words

extort, wrench, wrest, wring; clip, gouge, nick, overcharge, soak; exploit, milk; deceive, dupe, fool, gull, trick; rope (in); betray, bitch, double-cross; bamboozle, fast-talk

Rhymes with BILK

ilk, milch, milk, silk

²bilk

noun

Definition of BILK

: an untrustworthy tricky individual : cheat

Examples of BILK

1. <people who lost money in the scheme discovered that the investment company was a fake and the “owner” just a bilk>

First Known Use of BILK

1790

Related to BILK

Synonyms

trickster, bilker, cheat, cheater, chiseler (or chiseller), confidence man, cozener, defrauder, dodger, fakir, finagler, fraudster [chiefly British], hoaxer, scammer, scamster, shark, sharper, sharpie (or sharpy), skinner, swindler, tricker

Related Words

double-crosser, double-dealer; bluffer, charlatan, fake, faker, humbug, impostor (or imposter), mountebank, phony (also phoney), pretender, quack, quacksalver, ringer, sham; adventurer, fox, gamesman, knave, prankster, rascal, rogue; fast-talker, slick, slicker, slickster, slyboots, smoothy (or smoothie), wheeler-dealer; plotter, schemer, sneak, sneaker; blackleg, cardsharp (or cardsharper)