Synonym Chooser

How does the verb cozen contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cozen are cheat, defraud, and swindle. While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose.

always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

Where would cheat be a reasonable alternative to cozen?

The words cheat and cozen can be used in similar contexts, but cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

When would defraud be a good substitute for cozen?

In some situations, the words defraud and cozen are roughly equivalent. However, defraud stresses depriving one of his or her rights and usually connotes deliberate perversion of the truth.

defrauded of her inheritance by an unscrupulous lawyer

When can swindle be used instead of cozen?

While in some cases nearly identical to cozen, swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

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 cozen The point, however, is not to entertain the driver/employee but to cozen the owner. Dan Neil, WSJ, 19 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cozen
Verb
  • But appearances can be deceiving because there's a lot of bright side here.
    Shubham Yewale, PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Language can easily deceive The deeper issue is that language itself is a tool of manipulation.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • This year has already seen examples of AI systems willing to deceive, cheat and steal to achieve their goals.
    Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
  • And rebuilding trust – as anyone knows who has lied or cheated – is far harder than protecting it.
    Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • But don’t be fooled by the red planet’s Venusian trance.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • Wild horses often nap on the sand like beachgoers — but don’t be fooled.
    Evan Moore August 4, Charlotte Observer, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Pieces from Stock are often plucked by stylists for celebrity editorials for Vanity Fair, Esquire and GQ.
    Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Unlike many popular artists, she was never classically trained or in any other bands, nor was she plucked from obscurity to perform assembly-line creations.
    Holden Seidlitz, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The church hosts sure love tricking us into eating raw broccoli by serving it up in this creamy pasta salad.
    Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2025
  • Searching for an event, restaurant, or service online reduces the chance of being tricked by a malicious redirect or fraudulent site.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • As for the number of people stung, the beach patrol doesn’t have numbers.
    Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun, 30 July 2025
  • The other hallmark symptoms include swelling—especially around the lips, eyelids or extremities—and a burning or stinging sensation in affected areas.
    Elizabeth Yuko, Flow Space, 23 July 2025
Verb
  • To squeeze all this into exactly 100 days between Wrexham staging a promotion party after last season had ended and Tuesday’s cup tie against Hull is impressive.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Ewers was impressive finding A.J. Henning on one throw and squeezed a pass into a tight window to running back Ollie Gordon II.
    David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • This was where Leclerc’s innate ability to hustle a car through a qualifying lap and extract every last ounce of pace made all the difference.
    Luke Smith, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025
  • She’s been hustling on brand deals as well, some that have, like the American Eagle campaign, landed with some controversy.
    Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 1 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cozen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cozen. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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