as in cheat
a dishonest person who uses clever means to cheat others out of something of value
people who lost money in the scheme discovered that the investment company was a fake and the "owner" just a bilk
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
an investigation revealed that the garage had been bilking motorists for repairs that had never been made
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bilk
Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
And, despite its super hinky backstory, a bronze behemoth of bilk is taking shape in Everett.
—Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2018
Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Two former Stockman staffers also were found guilty in a scheme to bilk conservative foundations out of at least $775,000 that was meant for charitable purposes and voter education.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bilk
Noun
Fake invoices, bilks ‘restricted funds’ Jackson and court records show Gatlin approved hundreds of invoices for services and items that were never provided to the Foundation.
—Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
And, despite its super hinky backstory, a bronze behemoth of bilk is taking shape in Everett.
—Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2018
Verb
Holmes was convicted in 2022 of four counts of felony fraud for bilking investors in her now-defunct Palo Alto blood-testing startup out of hundreds of millions of dollars via false claims about the technology.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 3 Dec. 2025
Two former Stockman staffers also were found guilty in a scheme to bilk conservative foundations out of at least $775,000 that was meant for charitable purposes and voter education.
—David Mark, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bilk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bilk
Noun
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Others might feel the author cheats here, leaving it up to the reader to decide.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
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The movie follows a group of petty cheats, liars and drunks who are duped by nefarious opportunists who visit their crumbling town.—
John Penner,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The Panthers squeezed a few end-of-career seasons out of guys such as Dino Ciccarelli and Igor Larionov.—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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Instead, 2026 is about building both stylish and sensible outfits that can take you from the airport to the streets with maximum versatility without ever squeezing into tight, form-fitting fabric.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But my collection intentionally ignored the fraudulent exploits of billionaire heirs, tax dodgers and corporate magnates — defense contracts, government lobbying, bank accounts in Switzerland, shell companies in Panama, citizenship of Antigua and political asylum in London.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
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Denise Rich, a Democratic donor, gave four hundred and fifty thousand dollars to his Presidential-library foundation, and Clinton, on his final day in office, pardoned her ex-husband, Marc Rich, a tax dodger and a sanctions evader who’d fled to Switzerland.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But Haise did lead Lens to the Champions League for the first time in 20 years, finished one point behind PSG in 2023, and did, to pluck a one-off game out of the ether, oversee a 2-1 win over Arteta’s Arsenal.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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While Marty Supreme is only loosely inspired by Reisman, there are several sequences and character details plucked from his life.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The director points to a mid-film scene in a bowling alley, where Marty and his friend Wally (Tyler Okonma, aka Tyler, the Creator) hustle a small-town crew, as an example of its importance.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
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Wing/forward Cam Whitmore did not hustle back on defense and continued to play with tunnel vision on offense.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But the Chiefs not being in the playoffs still stings.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
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But a lackluster performance during that fall's vice presidential debate did little to help the party avoid stinging losses in November 2024.—
Hunter Woodall,
CBS News,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The plaintiff, Shaun Gray, is now facing potential liability for allegedly defrauding the studio and infringing on its copyrights.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
9 Jan. 2026
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Things eventually come to a head back in Cairo, where local police arrest Roper and his team, only for the enraged buyers, who were defrauded due to Pine's intervention, to seize the convoy.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And, as usual, the people with the fewest resources will get screwed.—
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson,
Time,
4 Nov. 2025
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No matter what Robert does, he’s totally screwed.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bilk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bilk. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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