as in fraudulent
marked by, based on, or done by the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value
every new technology has brought with it a raft of defrauding schemes that make full use of it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in swindling
Related Words
as in cheating
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
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 defrauding
Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 15 Dec. 2025
And what could be more legitimate of a cause for removing a governor of the nation's central bank—which is, among other things, the lender of last resort to the country's financial institutions—than the alleged defrauding of those very financial institutions?
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 13 May 2026
The complaint accuses the social networking giant of defrauding seniors and families with scam ads, which the company allegedly tracks.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 11 May 2026
The suspects, eight women and one man, face various charges of defrauding the state health plan in values over $1,500, committing identity fraud and making false statements in an application for public assistance.
—Brendan Nordstrom, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2026
The network later crashed and burned when Jim was convicted in 1989 of defrauding supporters of his PTL ministry of more than $150 million, including a $265,000 payment to church secretary Hahn to keep quiet about their affair.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
On Tuesday, the duo pleaded guilty to defrauding their victims — including some of New York City’s most prominent fine art auction houses — of at least $2 million.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
Bankowski and Bankowska both face up to 20 years in prison for defrauding buyers out of at least $2 million.
—News Desk, Artforum, 29 Apr. 2026
Two New Jersey residents pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeit art scheme that funneled fake works into the legitimate market, defrauding buyers of at least $2 million.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Luther Davis pleaded guilty on Monday to defrauding investors by impersonating NFL players.
—Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
Her defrauding of the Foundation, however, surpassed that figure as FBI agents dug deeper into her theft.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 15 Dec. 2025
And what could be more legitimate of a cause for removing a governor of the nation's central bank—which is, among other things, the lender of last resort to the country's financial institutions—than the alleged defrauding of those very financial institutions?
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
In response to the CBS News reports, Oz announced in March an initiative to decertify any hospice providers that are found to be defrauding taxpayers by stealing the identities of people not in hospice or by overbilling for those who are dying.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 13 May 2026
The complaint accuses the social networking giant of defrauding seniors and families with scam ads, which the company allegedly tracks.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 11 May 2026
The suspects, eight women and one man, face various charges of defrauding the state health plan in values over $1,500, committing identity fraud and making false statements in an application for public assistance.
—Brendan Nordstrom, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2026
The network later crashed and burned when Jim was convicted in 1989 of defrauding supporters of his PTL ministry of more than $150 million, including a $265,000 payment to church secretary Hahn to keep quiet about their affair.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 1 May 2026
On Tuesday, the duo pleaded guilty to defrauding their victims — including some of New York City’s most prominent fine art auction houses — of at least $2 million.
—ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026
Bankowski and Bankowska both face up to 20 years in prison for defrauding buyers out of at least $2 million.
—News Desk, Artforum, 29 Apr. 2026
Two New Jersey residents pleaded guilty to running a years-long counterfeit art scheme that funneled fake works into the legitimate market, defrauding buyers of at least $2 million.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Former Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Luther Davis pleaded guilty on Monday to defrauding investors by impersonating NFL players.
—Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defrauding
Adjective
-
EquityProtect reports that reversing a fraudulent title costs victims up to $150,000 in legal fees.—
Lew Sichelman,
Miami Herald,
7 May 2026
-
Now, rather than fall in line with the stereotypical notions of Housewifedom, Rusch leans into her quirks and remains unflappable no matter what her castmates throw her way — from claiming her divorce was fraudulent to criticizing her potato salad.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Her lawyers, Giuseppe Iannaccone and Marcello Bana, have denied there was a case of grand larceny, which would include fraud and swindling.—
Luisa Zargani,
Footwear News,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Though that 2017 championship is marred by one of the most egregious cheating scandals in baseball history.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
11 May 2026
-
Portraits of him as a cheating drunk, who was unfaithful to his first wife, Julia Nye, also surfaced.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
Musk attorney Steven Molo cited earlier testimony from OpenAI board members and former executives that Altman was dishonest and created a toxic culture of lying.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
-
The case, which has only recently come to the attention of POST officials, highlights the limits of state oversight even after lawmakers passed significant police reform aimed at forcing dishonest cops out of the profession.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Gas prices, housing costs and groceries are squeezing people who are working hard yet still falling behind.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Prices for everything are higher, squeezing already tight budgets to the breaking point, with no end in sight.—
The Virginian Pilot And Daily Press Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Adjective
-
The question of true or false became a sensation in 1967 with the famous film shot by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin in the Pacific Northwest, capturing a hairy figure ambling through a Northern California wood.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
But with few details to go on, the question is whether this moment marks a genuine breakthrough, or just another false dawn.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The ball trickled behind second, and Hoerner kept going, hustling his way to second.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
Over the past few years, Google has been hustling to reinvent its business for the AI age, trying to keep consumers in the habit of going to its search page as chatbots from startups such as OpenAI and Anthropic become more popular.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Which is why Hailey Bieber’s bright white, electric G-Wagon is parked just feet away from the office bullpen, where 20-something staffers of the full-service production company are plucking away at their computers.—
Lucy Feldman,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
But Norris wasn’t far behind, plucking off the Dutchman before focusing on Antonelli.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defrauding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defrauding. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
