bilked

past tense of bilk

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 Jason Cloth, a film producer with dozens of credits including Joker, Longlegs and Babylon, is facing numerous federal fraud charges and decades in prison in connection with a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors of more than $100 million. Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 29 July 2026 Federal prosecutors allege Eidleh was the mastermind who bilked taxpayers out of $250 million by exploiting federal child nutrition programs meant to feed vulnerable children. Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2026 The Justice Department said that the disgraced former executive bilked the museum out of the money by altering invoices and approving transactions for personal purchases. News Desk, Artforum, 14 July 2026 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 Multiple scams over the course of three days bilked Washington state residents out of more than $670,000, according to a Facebook post from the local sheriff’s office. Drew Pittock, USA Today, 5 July 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bilked
Verb
  • The producers’ suit appeared to sputter out in 2022, when a judge ruled that they were not cheated out of profits and that AMC had sued a standard definition.
    Gene Maddaus, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The Times has interviewed more than a dozen clients and investors who said they were cheated by Holdo.
    Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Her words, as if plucked from a Sunday morning sermon, speak to the source of her strength.
    Nicole Avery Nichols, Freep.com, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Other items were plucked from antique stores and flea markets around the globe.
    Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • In the press box, Ravens assistants hustled downstairs to join the celebration.
    Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Who hasn’t hustled out into the backyard to mimic their sports heroes?
    Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Two years is a long time in the NFL, yet that wild-card loss to the Philadelphia Eagles still stung in the building.
    Kevin Fishbain, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • By mid-morning, bees continued to fly around as city workers did their best to cut the tree without getting stung or agitating the hives any further.
    Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Add in Braxton Berrios, the Giants’ punt returner and backup slot receiver, and that squeezed Slayton out.
    Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Independent designers, once a discovery engine, were being squeezed, while the biggest brands put more investment into their own stores, creating a dichotomy in experiences that Bron felt was palpable.
    Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • According to an indictment returned by a federal grand jury, Molina defrauded the nonprofit between 2023 and November 2025.
    Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Two men, one of whom posed as a player for the San Francisco 49ers, have been arrested and charged in a scheme that allegedly defrauded more than two dozen women out of more than $1 million, federal authorities said.
    Tim Fang, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Like her, Americans are also so tired of being screwed by an administration that’s not only grossly incompetent and cruel but corrupt as well.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The 2022 class feels screwed, not privy to the extra COVID year or the five-in-five for the 2023 athletes.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 4 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • At one point, Fred was swindled out of upward of $15,000 when someone pretended to be the owner of a house for sale that Fred wanted to buy.
    Megan Rose, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Holdo swindled 32 victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars for Rolex watches that never existed, authorities said.
    City News Service, Oc Register, 2 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bilked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bilked. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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