bilks 1 of 2

noun

plural of bilk
as in cheats
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

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bilks

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bilk
as in plucks
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

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 bilks
Noun
Fake invoices, bilks ‘restricted funds’ Jackson and court records show Gatlin approved hundreds of invoices for services and items that were never provided to the Foundation. — Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bilks
  1. cheats
  2. plucks
  3. dodgers
  4. squeezes
  5. sharks
  6. hustles
  7. swindlers
  8. stings
Noun
  • Democrats passed significant funding for the IRS to go after wealthy tax cheats, which was repealed by Republicans.
    — WCCO Staff, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Trasks encounter a wide swath of citizens, haggling with sneaky cheats, exploiting innocent fools, and befriending big-hearted neighbors.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheats
Verb
  • Trump sometimes plucks memes from a sprawling ecosystem of online conservative supporters, and sometimes his government staff produces them as part of their official messaging.
    — Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.
    — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Definition of plucks
Noun
  • The White House is now cracking down on these tariff dodgers.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Ukraine faces severe personnel shortages with around 200,000 military desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers, threatening its ability to sustain the war against Russia’s 2022 invasion.
    — Kirsten Grieshaber, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Definition of dodgers
Verb
  • The low-rise waist sits comfortably on my hips and ensures that nothing squeezes my midsection, and the straight leg cut is incredibly flattering.
    — Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Southwest squeezes past Carter-Riverside for the final berth, but both games could go either way.
    — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of squeezes
Noun
  • Watching Steiner’s videos of the sharks swimming near surfers has eased his mind.
    — Stephanie Zappelli, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The agency's records include encounters in which sharks make contact with kayaks, surfboards or other equipment, even when no injuries occur.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of sharks
Verb
  • Jessica Gonzalez hustles behind her booth at the recent Renegade Craft Fair, frantically ringing up sales, answering questions and packaging her beeswax candles.
    — Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • Despite concerns that chip stocks could be topping out as the industry hustles to boost supply, Wall Street thinks Micron still has plenty of room to run.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 June 2026
Definition of hustles
Noun
  • The decade ended tumultuously, with the Osmond family’s fortune drained by a series of swindlers and grifters.
    — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
  • This scam, according to Kent, could be proliferated with the use of AI, which can allow swindlers to enroll in many different college programs at once.
    — Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Definition of swindlers
Verb
  • What stings more is how this year played out—and how stubbornly high home prices are.
    — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2026
  • But even though Az does get it back, the betrayal still stings.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of stings

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Cite this Entry

“Bilks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bilks. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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