Synonyms of bilk

bilk 1 of 2

noun

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

• cheat
• dodger
• shark
• swindler
• defrauder
• phony
• chiseler
• scammer
• sharper
• fraudster
• bilker
• scamster
• cheater
• confidence man
• skinner
• trickster
• ringer
• cozener
• sharpie
• hoaxer
• sham
• fakir
• sneak
• fake
• fox
• adventurer
• finagler
• quack
• tricker
• charlatan
• mountebank
• impostor
• pretender
• faker
• rogue
• knave
• sneaker
• slicker
• schemer
• double-dealer
• double-crosser
• rascal
• humbug
• slickster
• gamesman
• slick
• cardsharp
• plotter
• prankster
• bluffer
• quacksalver
• blackleg
• wheeler-dealer
• fast-talker
• slyboots
• smoothy

bilk

2 of 2

verb

ˈbilk 

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

• cheat
• squeeze
• pluck
• hustle
• sting
• defraud
• screw
• deceive
• swindle
• beat
• stick
• victimize
• mulct
• shortchange
• bleed
• do
• flimflam
• fleece
• diddle
• exploit
• cozen
• con
• trick
• sucker
• chouse
• ream
• nobble
• shake down
• stiff
• chisel
• euchre
• extort
• fiddle
• skin
• betray
• fool
• rip off
• rook
• short
• hose
• gaff
• do in
• skunk
• take to the cleaners
• thimblerig
• take for a ride
• gouge
• wring
• wrench
• overcharge
• sell a bill of goods to
• wrest
• dupe
• soak
• milk
• clip
• nick
• bamboozle
• gull
• rope (in)
• double-cross
• bitch
• fast-talk

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bilk

Noun

Federal prosecutors say Davis would go on to don disguises — a wig once, and a do-rag-style head covering another time — again in March and July to impersonate two other NFL players on video calls and bilk millions more in loans. — ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026

The findings dovetail with a spate of romance scammers on social media, particularly Telegram, promoting HELOC fraud as an effective new way to bilk victims out of even more money. — Kevin Collier, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026

Verb

Lawmakers have griped for decades that defense contractors have bilked the federal government on lucrative projects that run over budget and over schedule. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 14 July 2026

Through letters, Ulisses charms lonely women, bilking them of money and possessions. — Hamilton Cain, Time, 7 July 2026

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