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
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Recent Examples of frauds
The Man Who Stole Portugal is inspired by the titular true crime book by Murray Teigh Bloom about Alves dos Reis, who pulled off one of the largest frauds in history against the Bank of Portugal in 1925.
—
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 May 2026
Four artworks recovered from the 1MDB scandal have gone on public view in Malaysia for the first time, offering a modest but pointed reminder of one of the largest financial frauds in modern history.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 6 May 2026
Noticias Telemundo also contacted Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the three platforms where the frauds analyzed in this reporting originated.
—Albinson Linares, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers recommends customers take precautions to avoid potential frauds by calling sources and double-checking any information or requests.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
There are some elite frauds going on in the sports world right now.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
That will weed out the frauds, freeloaders and slumlords.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2026
Once recruited, victims were allegedly forced to conduct romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investment schemes and other online frauds targeting victims abroad.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
The frauds have grown nearly in lockstep with the growth of the industry.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 7 May 2026
Four artworks recovered from the 1MDB scandal have gone on public view in Malaysia for the first time, offering a modest but pointed reminder of one of the largest financial frauds in modern history.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 6 May 2026
Noticias Telemundo also contacted Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, the three platforms where the frauds analyzed in this reporting originated.
—Albinson Linares, NBC news, 26 Apr. 2026
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers recommends customers take precautions to avoid potential frauds by calling sources and double-checking any information or requests.
—ABC News, 10 Apr. 2026
There are some elite frauds going on in the sports world right now.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
That will weed out the frauds, freeloaders and slumlords.
—Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, 1 Mar. 2026
Once recruited, victims were allegedly forced to conduct romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investment schemes and other online frauds targeting victims abroad.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
The frauds have grown nearly in lockstep with the growth of the industry.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frauds
Noun
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If released, that information could be used for scams, identity theft, or further cyberattacks.—
Tori Mason,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
-
At the same time, these scams are not going away.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Once word got out about the reports in Ohio, so did the obvious fakes.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
McKenna is extremely shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The three-piece set includes two 20x26-inch matching pillow shams.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 May 2026
-
Etched with a cheery blue bouquet pattern on a soft yellow background, the comforter and matching shams give any room a spring makeover.—
Tanya Sharma,
PEOPLE,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
This is where hype turns into hard numbers, and contenders start getting separated from pretenders.—
Geoff Clark OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
-
These two pretenders reflect an insider debate whose subject is not the existence of the Islamic Republic but the best method of its survival.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Then give the land back, you pompous charlatans.—
Joe Soucheray,
Twin Cities,
2 May 2026
-
The 21st century’s obstacles for young men—as seen in deaths of despair and lagging employment—have been amply publicized both by credible journalists and by charlatans such as Fuentes.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
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
-
The 2025 major league impostors did not win a series until June.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
4 Apr. 2026
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In the end, Zac – who pretended to be rich – and Sharma – who pretended to be his mentor – were both imposters.—
Frank Langfitt,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But let’s circle back to TV‘s patron saint of affable, oft–insidious quacks.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
16 Dec. 2025
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Automatic ducking doesn't add quacks to your soundtrack.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
15 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frauds.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frauds. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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