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
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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
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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
Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
The bill proposes to add revenue to the VOCA fund by pulling from monetary penalties against people or companies convicted of defrauding the government through the False Claims Act.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Snyder asked for a new trial on his conviction for defrauding the IRS in federal court filings in October, while federal prosecutors responded that his request was untimely and without merit.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
After her 2021 commutation, Camberos and her brother were convicted of defrauding manufacturers to resell food at markup, generating millions to fund a lavish lifestyle.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors also say Flores was convicted in another case that involved defrauding the federal government.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
Those fixers would then bet against the players' teams in those games, defrauding sportsbooks and other bettors, authorities said.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Jan. 2026
Then the fixers placed big bets against those players’ teams in those games, defrauding sportsbooks and other bettors, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday.
—Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
Scott and others, including Kader Gahmaal Biwaki Edmond, are accused of defrauding numerous victims, including those in Connecticut, out of a total of more than $250,000 through a scheme involving Zelle and other fraud schemes, authorities allege.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 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
Nearly all of the defendants accused or convicted of defrauding a federal program to feed hungry children are of Somali descent.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
The bill proposes to add revenue to the VOCA fund by pulling from monetary penalties against people or companies convicted of defrauding the government through the False Claims Act.
—Tamia Fowlkes, jsonline.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Snyder asked for a new trial on his conviction for defrauding the IRS in federal court filings in October, while federal prosecutors responded that his request was untimely and without merit.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
After her 2021 commutation, Camberos and her brother were convicted of defrauding manufacturers to resell food at markup, generating millions to fund a lavish lifestyle.
—Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026
Prosecutors also say Flores was convicted in another case that involved defrauding the federal government.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
Those fixers would then bet against the players' teams in those games, defrauding sportsbooks and other bettors, authorities said.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Jan. 2026
Then the fixers placed big bets against those players’ teams in those games, defrauding sportsbooks and other bettors, according to the indictment unsealed Thursday.
—Dallas Morning News, 15 Jan. 2026
Scott and others, including Kader Gahmaal Biwaki Edmond, are accused of defrauding numerous victims, including those in Connecticut, out of a total of more than $250,000 through a scheme involving Zelle and other fraud schemes, authorities allege.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defrauding
Adjective
-
Investors in a fraudulent clean energy scheme might be one step closer to getting their money back, after the partner of a Chicago area businessman pleaded guilty to federal charges.—
Steffanie Dupree,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In California alone, nearly a third of all community college applicants in 2024 were identified as fraudulent, according to the California Community Colleges, the state's administrative body for the community college system.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Contessa’s Corner Sports leagues, state gambling regulators and tribal leaders have all raised concerns that prediction market trades on sports don’t have the same level of guardrails as sportsbooks to protect against cheating by athletes, referees, coaches and other insiders.—
Alex Sherman,Contessa Brewer,
CNBC,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The predictions were that unleashing AI to the world at large would lead to an exponential rise in cheating at school and that student essays would cease to be original.—
Degen Pener,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Like the other characters in the book, Harper is a stock figure, the brainiac child, but her fearlessness in the face of a crumbling, dishonest world reinvigorates the type.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
-
The American public gained a negative impression of McCarthy–many seeing him as bullying, reckless, and dishonest.—
Chris John Amorosino,
Hartford Courant,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Fresh spinach requires large quantities and multiple steps—blanching, shocking, and squeezing—just to yield a usable amount.—
Amber Love Bond,
Southern Living,
29 Jan. 2026
-
The bus ended up completely packed, everyone squeezing together in their parkas like a bunch of marshmallows.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Over the past two years, attorneys for Meija have argued in post-conviction hearings that prosecutors introduced false and misleading testimony at trial and newly available scientific methods proved that Casiaono, who was submerged in a bathtub full of scalding water, died by accident.—
Tony Plohetski,
Austin American Statesman,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Banfield’s defense attorney has accused prosecutors of offering Peres Magalhães a way out of prison in exchange for a false story to pin the murders on Banfield.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN Money,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Students were hustling around campus, coming and going on the penultimate Saturday of the semester.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
15 Dec. 2025
-
The bubbling party scene in New York City was indeed a movie, and Puffy was hustling his way into the leading role.—
Essence,
Essence,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Or plucking Tater Tots straight off the baking sheet and then wiping your hands on your pants.—
Alyssa Brandt,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Caitlin Looby Last August, Lauren Isbell dove around Mott Island Dock at Isle Royale National Park, plucking invasive zebra mussels from the lakebed – sometimes with her fingers, other times with a credit-card sized piece of plastic attached to a lanyard on her wrist.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Luhmann, who traveled from Illinois to Minnesota to document the immigration enforcement surge, said his hands were stinging from the different smoke bombs and pepper sprays deployed that day.—
Minneapolis Star Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
-
When treating frostbite at this stage, a person might feel stinging, burning and swelling in the affected area.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defrauding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defrauding. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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