defraud

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb defraud contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of defraud are cheat, cozen, and swindle. While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," 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

When might cheat be a better fit than defraud?

While in some cases nearly identical to defraud, cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

When would cozen be a good substitute for defraud?

The words cozen and defraud can be used in similar contexts, but cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose.

always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

Where would swindle be a reasonable alternative to defraud?

In some situations, the words swindle and defraud are roughly equivalent. However, swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defraud Now Middlesex was being sued by a New Jersey man who claimed he had been defrauded of $133,565 in a cryptocurrency scheme. Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 25 June 2025 When the case involving Marquez Cortes, the man who defrauded Gutierrez Saragon, finally went to trial, he was found guilty and a superior court judge ordered him to pay three installments totaling $66,000 in restitution or face a two-year prison sentence. Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2025 Pullman and Lynch were convicted by a federal jury of one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS. Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 3 June 2025 The couple were convicted of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans as well as tax evasion and sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively. Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for defraud
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defraud
Verb
  • President Donald Trump's rapid pullback of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has cost Americans at least $18 billion in higher fees and lost compensation for consumers allegedly cheated by major companies, according to an analysis released Tuesday by two organizations.
    Douglas Gillison, USA Today, 25 June 2025
  • But they didn’t get cheated this spring, not with three rousing blasts from the past: Against the Pistons, against the Celtics, against the Pacers.
    Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025
Verb
  • Paul Blackburn, with plenty of starting experience for Oakland, could squeeze into the picture too – especially if the Mets decide to try a six-man rotation that would save wear and tear on each man.
    Dan Schlossberg, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • When pancake is ready to flip, squeeze the cinnamon mixture into a swirl shape on top of the pancake batter, pressing the tip of the bag slightly into the batter.
    Elizabeth Nelson, Southern Living, 27 June 2025
Verb
  • Not long after that, Van was booked to face Kevin Borjas on a Dana White’s Contender Series Card, but the UFC plucked him from that event to face Zhalgas Zhumagulov in June 2024.
    Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025
  • Today, Horowitz’s startup, AMP, based in Louisville, Colo., has developed a technology that could move the needle—by using AI to pluck recyclables out of society’s vast tide of garbage far more quickly and efficiently.
    Chris Stokel-Walker, Fortune, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • There are few travel moments more deflating than racing through security, grabbing overpriced snacks, and hustling to your gate—only to find your flight has been canceled and the line to speak with an agent is already snaking around the concourse.
    Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2025
  • Before becoming a sports agent, the Cleveland-native hustled to make ends meet.
    Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • The moment was emotional, personal, but despite the celebration, one thing stung him.
    Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 June 2025
  • In the meantime, the pain of the Elio process still stings for the creatives who saw the movie’s trajectory become something of a cautionary tale.
    Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2025
Verb
  • The person is not trying to deceive or control, but the behavior still affects others and requires self awareness and growth to correct.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2025
  • Where was this sense of urgency when the mullahs were attempting to deceive U.N. inspectors while sandbagging U.S. efforts to diplomatically scuttle the country’s nuclear efforts?
    Editorial, Boston Herald, 21 June 2025
Verb
  • Chapman was the first ex-SBA employee in the country to be charged with bilking the agency responsible for doling out $800 billion in PPP and other pandemic loans, according to federal authorities.
    Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 16 June 2025
  • Holmes, a 41-year-old mother of two, was convicted by a jury on four counts of felony criminal fraud in early 2022 for bilking investors in her now-defunct Palo Alto blood-testing startup Theranos out of hundreds of millions of dollars.
    Mercury News, Boston Herald, 14 June 2025
Verb
  • After swindling his way into loads of cash, Yoshii gradually attempts to disconnect from humanity, moving out of the city, shunning his girlfriend, and entrusting duties to his new, devoted assistant.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 July 2025
  • Fans routinely collapsed at his concerts, an act that swindled into the 1990s.
    Ime Ekpo, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Defraud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defraud. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

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