swindle
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About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.1swin·dle
verb \ˈswin-dəl\swin·dledswin·dling \ˈswin(d)-liŋ, ˈswin-dəl-iŋ\
Definition of SWINDLE
intransitive verb
: to obtain money or property by fraud or deceit
transitive verb
: to take money or property from by fraud or deceit
— swin·dler \ˈswin(d)-lər, ˈswin-dəl-ər\ noun
See Examples of SWINDLE
- <hundreds of people were swindled out of their savings, and all they had to show for it were fake land deeds>
Origin of SWINDLE
back-formation from swindler, from German Schwindler giddy person, from schwindeln to be dizzy, from Old High German swintilōn, frequentative of swintan to diminish, vanish; akin to Old English swindan to vanish
First Known Use: circa 1782
Related to SWINDLE
- Synonyms
- beat, bilk, 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, fleece, thimblerig, victimize
See Synonym Discussion at cheat
2swindle
nounDefinition of SWINDLE
Examples of SWINDLE
- <a swindle that involved selling a lot of land that really didn't exist>
- <identity theft has become one of the most frequent and feared swindles of our time>
First Known Use of SWINDLE
1821
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