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swindle

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb swindle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of swindle are cheat, cozen, and defraud. While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

When would cheat be a good substitute for swindle?

The words cheat and swindle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

When might cozen be a better fit than swindle?

The synonyms cozen and swindle are sometimes interchangeable, but cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose.

always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

When could defraud be used to replace swindle?

The meanings of defraud and swindle largely overlap; however, defraud stresses depriving one of his or her rights and usually connotes deliberate perversion of the truth.

defrauded of her inheritance by an unscrupulous lawyer

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 swindle
Noun
Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions — collectively known as hoaxes. Scott Neuman, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025 Martini plays Porter Baldwin, a cutthroat East Coast businessman clawing his way back to respectability through a land swindle in the West. Matt Grobar, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2025
Verb
This is a producer who swindled money endlessly and made life hell for his victims. Steve Belanger, HollywoodReporter, 23 Oct. 2025 Tish only swindled the bank out of $19,000. Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 11 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for swindle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swindle
Noun
  • Trailer Park Boys is a faux documentary about three petty criminals running scams from their Halifax trailer park and streams on Netflix.
    Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Just because Trump thinks climate change is a scam, doesn’t mean the rest of the world agrees.
    John D. Sutter, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The only reason that Bikini Frankenstein does not rank higher on this list is because putting a softcore porno at the top would feel like cheating.
    Katie Rife, Vulture, 9 Nov. 2025
  • But like his predecessor, this Frankenstein is just as obsessed with immortality and cheating death through science.
    Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • As an architectural blacksmith, Guillory favored Japanese denim jeans—a balance of craftsmanship and professionalism—for client meetings squeezed between long days welding staircases and chandeliers.
    Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 11 Nov. 2025
  • But their arrival has coincided with a spike in housing prices, which has squeezed many locals out of the market.
    Max Klaver, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • But voters who showed up to the polls on Tuesday had a different point of view and delivered stinging defeats to Republicans.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
  • In February, Vance delivered a stinging message to European allies, saying that the biggest threat to Europe did not come from Russia or China, but from within Europe itself, and that he was concerned Europe was moving toward censorship and away from democracy.
    Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The Dodgers, with baseball's biggest payroll, have used their financial ability to pluck some of the most sought-after and most expensive free agents on the market.
    Steve Futterman, NPR, 4 Nov. 2025
  • An all-star cast plucked from different corners of the pop culture firmament leads Ryan Murphy's All's Fair, a Hulu legal drama about female divorce attorneys who open their own practice.
    Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Defensive end Sam Williams blocked a Cardinals punt and Kneeland hustled to get the ball in the end zone for the touchdown.
    Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Despite her injuries, Zwerner was able to hustle her students out of the classroom.
    NPR, NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Agents with Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin's office last week arrested two Helena-West Helena residents, one of them an employee with the state Department of Corrections, accused of working together to defraud the state's Medicaid program, a Tuesday news release from Griffin's office states.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Nov. 2025
  • One recent scam involved an executive of an international firm being defrauded out of millions of dollars, by a scammer using deepfake technology.
    Matt Emma, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Bode’s comment was strictly in reference to the character of the Wizard of Oz, who uses propaganda to manipulate and deceive his subjects in Wicked.
    Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 7 Nov. 2025
  • As Venus enters Scorpio, your love life appears quiet, but appearances can be deceiving!
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Swindle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swindle. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.

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