swindle

¹swin·dle

verb \ˈswin-d^əl\

swin·dledswin·dling\ˈswin(d)-liŋ, ˈswin-d^əl-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-d^əl-ər\ noun

Examples of SWINDLE

1. <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

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

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See Synonym Discussion at cheat

Rhymes with SWINDLE

bindle, brindle, dwindle, kindle, spindle