Thesaurus results for BILKED

bilked

verb

past tense of bilk

as in cheated

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

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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 bilked Twenty-one people are facing charges as part of a massive hospice fraud scheme that prosecutors say bilked California’s medical system out of $267 million. —

Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026 Authorities arrested eight people accused of conducting a series of health care fraud schemes that bilked tens of millions of dollars from Medicare and other insurance companies across Southern California, prosecutors announced April 2. —

Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026 In total, prosecutors say the fraud scheme bilked the program out of more than $250 million. —

Wcco Staff, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2026 Meanwhile, California continued blowing money on a high-speed rail project that is years behind schedule and billions over budget, was bilked for billions in fraud, and funded an anti-homelessness bureaucracy with no accountability, among other things. —

Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026 We, too, are horrified by the betrayal of America’s social safety-net systems perpetrated by dozens of individuals in Minnesota who bilked at least $1 billion from taxpayers for non-existent services and clients. —

The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026 Prosecutors say criminals also bilked millions of dollars from Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services program — which pays for help finding and keeping housing — as well as the state’s autism-services program by billing for appointments, therapy and casework that never took place. —

Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bilked

Verb

But no matter the prodding, Terminus never wanted the patrons to feel cheated, so the games, while tricky, were winnable, and the prizes reasonable and fair.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
Every town has its nostalgic spots—ice cream shops, deli counters, old-school diners—that seem to have cheated time.

— Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 12 May 2026