cozen

coz·en

transitive verb \ˈkə-zən\

coz·enedcoz·en·ing \ˈkəz-niŋ, ˈkə-zə-\

Definition of COZEN

1

: to deceive, win over, or induce to do something by artful coaxing and wheedling or shrewd trickery

2

: to gain by cozening someone <cozened his supper out of the old couple>

— coz·en·er \ˈkəz-nər, ˈkə-zə-\ noun

Examples of COZEN

1. <cozened several elderly ladies into believing that he was intending marriage>
2. <cozened scores of people by persuading them to hand over funds that he would “invest”>

Origin of COZEN

perhaps from obsolete Italian cozzonare, from Italian cozzone horse trader, from Latin cocion-, cocio trader

First Known Use: 1573

Related to COZEN

Synonyms

bamboozle, beguile, bluff, buffalo, burn, catch, con, deceive, delude, dupe, fake out, fool, gaff, gammon, gull, have, have on [chiefly British], hoax, hoodwink, hornswoggle, humbug, juggle, misguide, misinform, mislead, snooker, snow, spoof, string along, sucker, suck in, take in, trick

Antonyms

undeceive

Related Words

kid, put on, tease; bleed, cheat, chisel, defraud, diddle, euchre, flam, fleece, gyp, hustle, mulct, rook, shortchange, skin, squeeze, stick, sting, swindle

Near Antonyms

debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask; disclose, divulge, tell, unveil; disabuse, disenchant, disillusion

See Synonym Discussion at cheat

Rhymes with COZEN

dozen