swindle

1 of 2

verb

swin·​dle ˈswin-dᵊl How to pronounce swindle (audio)
swindled; swindling ˈswin(d)-liŋ How to pronounce swindle (audio)
ˈswin-dᵊl-iŋ

intransitive verb

: to obtain money or property by fraud or deceit

transitive verb

: to take money or property from by fraud or deceit
swindler
ˈswin(d)-lər How to pronounce swindle (audio)
ˈswin-dᵊl-ər
noun

swindle

2 of 2

noun

: an act or instance of swindling : fraud
Choose the Right Synonym for swindle

cheat, cozen, defraud, swindle mean to get something by dishonesty or deception.

cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose.

always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

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 implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

Examples of swindle in a Sentence

Verb hundreds of people were swindled out of their savings, and all they had to show for it were fake land deeds Noun 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
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Police had enough to charge both men with fraud: Knott for running up $90,000 on Tony Pike's credit cards and Forti for allegedly trying to swindle Tony out of his hotel. Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 There’s no question that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a tool that can swindle millions. John F. Wasik, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Anyone who believes they may have been swindled out of money is asked to call the Sacramento Police Department’s dispatch center at 916-808-5471 or the Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2024 Now, the investors fear they've been swindled as part of alleged Ponzi scheme. Alexandria Burris, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Feb. 2024 His long-running dispute with Bouvier has been the subject of lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions and centers on the oligarch’s claim that he had been swindled out of $1 billion on 38 artworks sold to him by the Swiss dealer. Oscar Holland, CNN, 31 Jan. 2024 Insufficient funds The latest criminal complaint says Wooton carried out another swindling spree from May 25 through Oct. 11. Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 14 Feb. 2024 The actor also had a breakout role in 1990's Ghost as the scheming swindling friends of Patrick Swayze's Sam Wheat and his wife Molly, played by Demi Moore. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 2 Feb. 2024 In a span of just three weeks in the summer of 2022, Alice Lin was swindled out of her life savings in an internet scam that began on a Chinese-language chat app. Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 2 Feb. 2024
Noun
Older Americans are among the most likely to fall victim to a variety of con jobs, and may be especially vulnerable to ones that prey on loneliness like romance hustles, grandparent swindles and even pet scams. Emma Dibdin, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023 But there are additional swindles out there, including scams involving deception, distraction and petty theft. Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023 The discovery of what Gonzalez believed was a license to print money led him to repeat the swindle again and again in different states—effectively stealing five luxury vehicles worth approximately $560,000 in total. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2023 Each of the podcast’s incisive, scrappy seasons looks, with plenty of side eye, at a different aspect of the American dream and the swindles and institutions that claim to make that dream come true. Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023 The final thing that struck me in light of Ellison’s testimony is how unsophisticated the entire FTX/Alameda hustle really was—more like the plot of a Coen brothers film than a swindle designed by geniuses. Kathleen Breitman, Fortune Crypto, 13 Oct. 2023 The 12-part docudrama tells the true story of one of the biggest financial swindles of the 21st century. Ben Croll, Variety, 2 Oct. 2023 But what about the cruel swindle of the slave trade, and of imperial domination? Lynn Steger Strong, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2023 No one is safe from the newest tourism swindles 3M's $6 million settlement3M earplugs caused hearing loss. Cora Lewis, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swindle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

Verb

1773, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

1778, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of swindle was in 1773

Dictionary Entries Near swindle

Cite this Entry

“Swindle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swindle. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

swindle

1 of 2 verb
swin·​dle ˈswin-dᵊl How to pronounce swindle (audio)
swindled; swindling -(d)liŋ How to pronounce swindle (audio)
-dᵊl-iŋ
: to get money or property from by dishonest means : cheat
swindler
-(d)lər How to pronounce swindle (audio)
-dᵊl-ər
noun

swindle

2 of 2 noun
: an act or instance of swindling : fraud

More from Merriam-Webster on swindle

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