Synonyms of 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

• cheated
• plucked
• hustled
• stung
• squeezed
• defrauded
• screwed
• swindled
• stuck
• deceived
• conned
• fleeced
• victimized
• beat
• tricked
• suckered
• rooked
• shortchanged
• mulcted
• stiffed
• flimflammed
• bled
• did
• diddled
• cozened
• exploited
• reamed
• shorted
• euchred
• fiddled
• fooled
• betrayed
• chiseled
• skinned
• ripped off
• gaffed
• shook down
• hosed
• nobbled
• extorted
• skunked
• did in
• duped
• wrenched
• took to the cleaners
• thimblerigged
• took for a ride
• choused
• gouged
• overcharged
• milked
• sold a bill of goods to
• wrung
• gulled
• clipped
• soaked
• nicked
• wrested
• bamboozled
• double-crossed
• bitched
• roped (in)
• fast-talked

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bilked

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

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