as in cheated
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
senior citizens generally were too smart to fall for the fast-talking salesman's attempts to defraud them
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Recent Examples of defrauded
In 2006, a joint investigation run by the FBI and IRS – Operation Bullpen – busted a nationwide forgery ring that defrauded collectors of more than $100 million, and just last year, an Indiana man admitted to selling some $350 million worth of fake gear over the span of 20 years.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Authorities said Kates defrauded the state Department of Labor of $217,056 by filing fraudulent unemployment applications with the agency for her family, acquaintances, and others, from March 2020 through May 2021.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2026
Things eventually come to a head back in Cairo, where local police arrest Roper and his team, only for the enraged buyers, who were defrauded due to Pine's intervention, to seize the convoy.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
Tourists seeking to visit the Statue of Liberty were defrauded daily by unscrupulous ticket-hawkers pitching water tours departing miles away that charge high prices and can’t land on Liberty Island.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Pandemic relief fraud The OIG reported closing two cases in fiscal year 2025 involving former CPS principals who defrauded pandemic relief programs, including one who received more than $41,000 in loans on top of her six-figure salary.
—Hope Moses, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
The state has already admitted to being defrauded of more than $55 billion in recent years by people who may not have been eligible for jobless claims.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 5 Jan. 2026
Court records reviewed by the Minnesota Star Tribune, which has covered the story for more than a decade, indicate the amount defrauded is closer to $218 million.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 31 Dec. 2025
The group allegedly defrauded victims of at least $50,000 that night.
—Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Authorities said Kates defrauded the state Department of Labor of $217,056 by filing fraudulent unemployment applications with the agency for her family, acquaintances, and others, from March 2020 through May 2021.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2026
Things eventually come to a head back in Cairo, where local police arrest Roper and his team, only for the enraged buyers, who were defrauded due to Pine's intervention, to seize the convoy.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 8 Jan. 2026
Tourists seeking to visit the Statue of Liberty were defrauded daily by unscrupulous ticket-hawkers pitching water tours departing miles away that charge high prices and can’t land on Liberty Island.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Pandemic relief fraud The OIG reported closing two cases in fiscal year 2025 involving former CPS principals who defrauded pandemic relief programs, including one who received more than $41,000 in loans on top of her six-figure salary.
—Hope Moses, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
The state has already admitted to being defrauded of more than $55 billion in recent years by people who may not have been eligible for jobless claims.
—Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 5 Jan. 2026
Court records reviewed by the Minnesota Star Tribune, which has covered the story for more than a decade, indicate the amount defrauded is closer to $218 million.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 31 Dec. 2025
The group allegedly defrauded victims of at least $50,000 that night.
—Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defrauded
Verb
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Experts say such scam operations in Cambodia and elsewhere have cheated people around the world out of billions of dollars and tricked people from many countries to work in them under slave-like conditions.—
Sakchai Lalit,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Those very few still alive believe to this day that they are being cheated out of Social Security benefits.—
Tom Margenau,
Dallas Morning News,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Mornings begin at your own pace with homemade granola and shakshuka before heartier lunches and dinners of chicken tagine, lamb kebabs and roasted eggplant with colourful zesty salads mostly plucked from the on-site vegetable garden.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
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There’s also Liège waffles ($10), plucked from the Good Neighbor dessert menu, and playful milkshakes ($10) and smoothies ($11) that can be made boozy for an additional $6.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The criticism stung deeper coming from someone who avoided Vietnam military service.—
Pan Pylas,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2026
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His sarcasm stung almost daily, but the winning followed weekly.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Toronto hustled to a 14-point advantage before settling for a 32-24 lead after one quarter.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
17 Jan. 2026
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Fiala hustled back to block Eichel’s shot, but Eichel recovered it to find Stone on the doorstep for an uncontested winner.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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As the continents sheared and twisted unevenly, local forces squeezed together thin ribbons of crust and popped them up like geological meerkats, isolating and slicing them off.—
Evan Howell,
Scientific American,
4 Feb. 2026
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Walmart had become the poster child of the big bad corporation that underpaid its workers, squeezed its suppliers and tore at the fabric of small-town America.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Was Tony Kiritsis really screwed out of a legitimate business deal?—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
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Basically, our government helped the rich get richer while working families got screwed.—
Ana María Archila,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The investors' attorneys said about $46 million of the money the pair swindled from their investors went to pay for expensive cars.—
Steffanie Dupree,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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John Tamahere McCabe, 42, swindled the money by falsely promising to sell the 79-year-old victim’s yacht for him and by taking out unauthorized loans against his Irvine condominium.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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And don’t be deceived by Saturday’s sunny skies as the high will be 32 with wind chills as low as 9 degrees.—
Amanda McCoy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 Jan. 2026
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Challengers should give Marylanders the option to choose a new direction and remove the need to confront the painful reality that they were deceived.—
Torrey Snow,
Baltimore Sun,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defrauded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defrauded. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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