swindle

1 of 2

verb

swin·​dle ˈswin-dᵊl 

swindled; swindling ˈswin-dᵊl-iŋ 

ˈswin(d)-liŋ

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-dᵊl-ər 

ˈswin(d)-lər

noun

swindle

2 of 2

noun

: an act or instance of swindling : fraud

Synonyms of swindle

Verb

• cheat
• squeeze
• sting
• pluck
• hustle
• defraud
• deceive
• bilk
• screw

Noun

• scam

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

After over a decade of partnership, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is suing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for more than $130 billion, alleging that Altman and OpenAI cofounder Greg Brockman swindled him and betrayed the company’s founding charitable mission. —Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026

Holder was one of thousands of Americans swindled out of a total estimated at $20 billion by way of cyber theft in 2025, according to the FBI. —Anna Schecter, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026

Noun

Prosecutors charged Said with racketeering and multiple counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle in connection with an alleged scheme that defrauded Minnesota’s Medicaid program of nearly $11 million, according to the criminal complaint. —Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2026

Said is charged with 10 felony counts, including theft by swindle and racketeering. —Chloe Rosen, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2026

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

Rhymes for swindle

• brindle
• dwindle
• grindal
• grindle
• kindle
• spindle
• windle
• rekindle

Kids Definition

swindle

1 of 2 verb

swin·​dle ˈswin-dᵊl 

swindled; swindling -(d)liŋ 

-dᵊl-iŋ

: to get money or property from by dishonest means : cheat

swindler

-(d)lər 

-dᵊl-ər

noun

swindle

2 of 2 noun

: an act or instance of swindling : fraud