1
as in scams
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value
thousands of people lost money when the investment scheme turned out to be a fraud
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in fakes
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
the "blind" panhandler was just a fraud trying to con holiday shoppers out of their money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of frauds
Certain frauds included requests to share bank details or to pay upfront costs associated with onboarding, such as certification or background check fees.
—
Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Attackers also use email to launch ransomware attacks, deliver malware and pursue frauds such as spoof executive requests.
—David Prosser, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Leaving aside outright frauds, pay-for-play exists on a spectrum of cost and legitimacy.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2025
And never give up the kind of personal information that is beyond the scope of a simple quote for a service, scammers look to use this to perpetuate other frauds and attacks.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Do bear in mind, though, that this protection against phishing frauds currently only works in Chrome.
—PCMAG, 7 Mar. 2025
His empire came crashing down in 2022 after the company abruptly sought bankruptcy protection, leading to the discovery of one of the biggest financial frauds in history.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Take thieves, frauds and scammers.
—Roxana Popescu, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2025
The ones who weren’t downright frauds were only cracked and wretched old women with delusions.
—Charles Portis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Attackers also use email to launch ransomware attacks, deliver malware and pursue frauds such as spoof executive requests.
—David Prosser, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Leaving aside outright frauds, pay-for-play exists on a spectrum of cost and legitimacy.
—Dana Harris-Bridson, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2025
And never give up the kind of personal information that is beyond the scope of a simple quote for a service, scammers look to use this to perpetuate other frauds and attacks.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Do bear in mind, though, that this protection against phishing frauds currently only works in Chrome.
—PCMAG, 7 Mar. 2025
His empire came crashing down in 2022 after the company abruptly sought bankruptcy protection, leading to the discovery of one of the biggest financial frauds in history.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, People.com, 7 Mar. 2025
Take thieves, frauds and scammers.
—Roxana Popescu, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2025
The ones who weren’t downright frauds were only cracked and wretched old women with delusions.
—Charles Portis, Harper's Magazine, 28 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frauds
Noun
-
North Korean and Chinese hackers are already using tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to break into companies, forge identities, and run elaborate scams.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
-
However, crypto ATMs can be prone to scams.—
Alex Perry,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Patriots used motion to set up fakes and trick the Panthers defense, and for the most part, the illusions paid off.—
Mike Kaye
September 28,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The program, which officially launched in May, brings together brands, payment processors and e-commerce platforms like Amazon, eBay and Alibaba to develop best practices and work to get fakes off of online marketplaces.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,Paige Tortorelli,
CNBC,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The contenders, pretenders and everybody in between.—
Andrew Callahan,
Boston Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Adjustments will be made, and by November and December, there will be a much clearer picture of who the contenders and pretenders are.—
Mark LaSota,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
An entry-level sheet set from the brand will run you a minimum of $500 with the priciest shams ringing in at a cool $5,000.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
26 Sep. 2025
-
It’s woven from 100 percent organic cotton, includes a quilt and matching shams, and comes in both dark gray and olive green.—
Rachel Trujillo,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
To tell the truly venomous from the fakers, there are a couple details to help distinguish the two.—
Kirsten Fiscus,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
By the finale, the galactic chessboard is crowded with players—emperors, rebels, prophets, impostors—but as Hari Seldon (Jared Harris) warned in the very first episode, the center cannot hold.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
-
That’s until their cover in California Schemin’ as rapping imposters was blown and the emotional strain of denying their Scottishness and their fractured friendship revealed itself.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
As experts departed, quacks arrived.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Medallion’s Derek Lo figures that his software can cut through the system’s redundancies, slashing the time and cost of paperwork designed to prevent quacks from practicing medicine and safeguard patients that’s spiraled into something burdensome.—
Amy Feldman,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frauds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frauds. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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