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 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 In one scheme, prosecutors say dozens of scammers bilked more than $250 million from a federal program meant to feed hungry children in what has been described as the largest pandemic-era fraud scheme in the country. —

N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 9 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

Some people like to vote on election day, said Dianne Clinkscale from Dallas, arguing that the county’s voters got cheated out their right on to vote.

— Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2026
Visitors to the sites at Independence Park were cheated when they were cut off from facts that enable us to imagine ourselves in the lives of those who lived and worked there.

— Carol Quillen, Time, 21 Feb. 2026