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
But Brockman mostly maintained composure while explaining why his journals shouldn’t be viewed as a smoking gun proving that Musk was defrauded.
—
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 May 2026
Prosecutors say Goliath, based in Central Florida, defrauded investors of at least $328 million.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
In total, Johnson defrauded the government of $300,000, Frankin of $100,000 and Wilson of $40,000, documents allege.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
The arrest earlier this year of Alexander Soofer, the CEO of the nonprofit Abundant Blessings, who allegedly defrauded homelessness programs (including Inside Safe) of millions of dollars underscores the importance of the work Mejia and his team is doing.
—The Editorial Board, Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
Federal authorities raided 22 locations in Minnesota on Tuesday in relation to allegations that billions of dollars were defrauded from the state.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Apr. 2026
The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a report earlier in April that found that such crimes defrauded Americans of nearly $21 billion in 2025.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Federal prosecutors allege that from 2019 to April 2026 Stefan Pildes, the organizer of SantaCon, defrauded tens of thousands of ticket-buying revelers and venue operators by promising proceeds would go to charities but instead used more than half of the money raised to line his pockets.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
The indictment alleges that from November 2019 through April 2026, Pildes defrauded tens of thousands of people through the event, which brings in around 25,000 attendees each year.
—Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 May 2026
Prosecutors say Goliath, based in Central Florida, defrauded investors of at least $328 million.
—Silas Morgan, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026
In total, Johnson defrauded the government of $300,000, Frankin of $100,000 and Wilson of $40,000, documents allege.
—Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
The arrest earlier this year of Alexander Soofer, the CEO of the nonprofit Abundant Blessings, who allegedly defrauded homelessness programs (including Inside Safe) of millions of dollars underscores the importance of the work Mejia and his team is doing.
—The Editorial Board, Daily News, 29 Apr. 2026
Federal authorities raided 22 locations in Minnesota on Tuesday in relation to allegations that billions of dollars were defrauded from the state.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 28 Apr. 2026
The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a report earlier in April that found that such crimes defrauded Americans of nearly $21 billion in 2025.
—Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Federal prosecutors allege that from 2019 to April 2026 Stefan Pildes, the organizer of SantaCon, defrauded tens of thousands of ticket-buying revelers and venue operators by promising proceeds would go to charities but instead used more than half of the money raised to line his pockets.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2026
The indictment alleges that from November 2019 through April 2026, Pildes defrauded tens of thousands of people through the event, which brings in around 25,000 attendees each year.
—Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defrauded
Verb
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The reportedly yearlong relationship is notable in that, after their split in 2015, Stocking posted and deleted tweets saying the basketball player cheated, per The New York Post.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
-
This is the same team that cheated and got caught how many times, going back to Bill Belichick and golden boy Tom Brady (Deflategate)?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There’s no trace of anything strummed or plucked; clusters of tone simply materialize out of thin air, as capricious as weather.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
-
He’s plucked employees from companies like Uber, Google, and Facebook to professionalize the place.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Otherwise, the what-if blues would’ve stung a lot longer.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The Nuggets have lost plenty of playoff games the past two springs, but few have stung like this.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Caminero led off with a walk, then hustled to third when Aranda followed with a single.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
-
Alec Bohm drove in a run with a slow roller when Harper hustled to beat shortstop Otto Lopez's throw to second.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, American families are getting squeezed by high gas prices, unaffordable housing, soaring grocery bills and out-of-touch politicians who are more focused on woke ideology than on real solutions.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Geneva coach Brad Wendell knew that Kastor’s slow start last season squeezed him out of the lineup.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
If Miranda Priestly can get thrown in steerage, we’re all screwed.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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But that doesn’t mean working people aren’t getting screwed.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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After over a decade of partnership, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is suing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for more than $130 billion, alleging that Altman and OpenAI cofounder Greg Brockman swindled him and betrayed the company’s founding charitable mission.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
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Holder was one of thousands of Americans swindled out of a total estimated at $20 billion by way of cyber theft in 2025, according to the FBI.—
Anna Schecter,
CBS News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The lawsuit alleged that Capital One deceived customers about interest rates related to some of its savings account options, according to court filings on the settlement website.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
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But some were also deceived or coerced.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defrauded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defrauded. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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