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
Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Evan and Josh Edwards were among hundreds charged with defrauding the program.
—Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 3 June 2026
Conservative podcaster Doug Billings also did not re-file to run after his former lieutenant governor pick accused him of defrauding a donor and asked to be removed from the ticket.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2026
Attorney General Andrea Campbell sued UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, accusing the insurer of misclassifying the conditions of elderly members and defrauding MassHealth of at least $100 million.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
In March, Archer filed a lawsuit accusing Joby of defrauding the government by concealing close ties to China and misclassifying aircraft parts of Chinese origin.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Not the only victim The Miami-Dade case is not the only time Readon has been accused by investigators of defrauding homeowners.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
The bust, prosecutors said, resulted from surveillance of the suspects, who were defrauding the museum of ticketing fees for as many as 20 groups a day for as long as a decade.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
He is accused, among other things, of defrauding many of Banco Master's 800,000 clients, including several state government pension funds, out of hundreds of millions of dollars by convincing them to make shady investments.
—ABC News, 13 May 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
The charges do not stem from the general practice of paying informants but from the Justice Department's allegations that the SPLC made these payments without disclosing the practice to donors and by defrauding banks.
—Sarah N. Lynch, CBS News, 3 June 2026
Evan and Josh Edwards were among hundreds charged with defrauding the program.
—Rich Schapiro, NBC news, 3 June 2026
Conservative podcaster Doug Billings also did not re-file to run after his former lieutenant governor pick accused him of defrauding a donor and asked to be removed from the ticket.
—Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 1 June 2026
Attorney General Andrea Campbell sued UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, accusing the insurer of misclassifying the conditions of elderly members and defrauding MassHealth of at least $100 million.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 30 May 2026
In March, Archer filed a lawsuit accusing Joby of defrauding the government by concealing close ties to China and misclassifying aircraft parts of Chinese origin.
—Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Not the only victim The Miami-Dade case is not the only time Readon has been accused by investigators of defrauding homeowners.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 15 May 2026
The bust, prosecutors said, resulted from surveillance of the suspects, who were defrauding the museum of ticketing fees for as many as 20 groups a day for as long as a decade.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 14 May 2026
He is accused, among other things, of defrauding many of Banco Master's 800,000 clients, including several state government pension funds, out of hundreds of millions of dollars by convincing them to make shady investments.
—ABC News, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defrauding
Adjective
-
Holmes fashioned herself as the next Steve Jobs, until a reporter at the Wall Street Journal blew the lid off Theranos' fraudulent claims of developing a state-of-the-art medical test that required only a single drop of blood to accurately detect results like glucose levels and cancer.—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 June 2026
-
The Justice Department alleges the two businesses submitted fraudulent claims for services that were never rendered.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
4 June 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
-
Greg de la Garza, Miami The Republican Party of Florida is cheating and getting away with it.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 May 2026
-
In the course of reality TV’s 20-some-odd years golden era, a cheating scandal is almost as certain as a public screaming match in an unsuspecting local restaurant.—
Alexandra Hildreth,
Vogue,
29 May 2026
Adjective
-
Fragmented oversight creates opportunities for dishonest actors to exploit the gaps.—
Sally Pipes,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
The election took place amid a surge in violent crime and corruption that has fueled widespread discontent among voters, who largely view candidates as dishonest and unprepared for the presidency.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Carting around unhappy campers in 100-degree weather and squeezing work into a shorter window is not exactly being poolside with a marg.—
Abby McCloskey,
Twin Cities,
4 June 2026
-
The defense is disciplined, squeezing pressure from its trio of wings.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Today, rumors circulating on social media in the DRC include false claims that Ebola is not real, that humanitarian workers are descending on the area solely for their own profit and that aid groups are withholding the best care available.—
Gabrielle Emanuel,
NPR,
29 May 2026
-
In January, Roberts pleaded guilty to making a false statement for employment and one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm while being in the country illegally.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
29 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
-
Each following June, Kvaratskhelia would repeat the ritual, plucking the early growers from the tree.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
The only thing that prevented a shutout was Ross Colton plucking in a rebound off Brent Burns’ sniper off Hart’s chest.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defrauding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defrauding. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
