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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
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 According to a press release from Ellison’s office, a jury found Yusuf guilty of six counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle. Kristi Miller, Twin Cities, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
Courtesy of Caitlin Hofmann This week's winner hails from St. Augustine, Florida, and a family who became swindled by an outdoor cat. Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025 And in another, the consumer watchdog agency is returning money to almost 1,000 homeowners swindled by door-to-door contractors pitching a home improvement financing scam. Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for swindle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swindle
Noun
  • This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Pulte also fell for a scam that was orchestrated by a former business associate of Kanye West, the rapper now known as Ye, the Chicago Tribune later reported.
    Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • But things got particularly ugly in the most recent reunion episode, in which Adriana de Moura not only leaned on lesbophobic and biphobic rhetoric, but also claimed that Julia Lemigova (who is famously married to renowned TERF Martina Navratilova) has been cheating for years.
    James Factora, Them., 10 Oct. 2025
  • Then de Moura decided to drop a few bombshells of her own, accusing her former bestie of not just cheating with her but with two men.
    Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Freeman took rookie Chad Patrick deep for the first Dodgers run, and his teammates squeezed a second run out of Brewers closer Abner Uribe in the ninth.
    Andy McCullough, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Nara announced the cute name in a post on her Instagram showing little Fawnie curled up in soft blankets, along with a video clip squeezing her tiny hand.
    Sarah Scott, Parents, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Chiefs have been on the wrong side of fourth-quarter closeness this year (0-3 after Monday night’s slippery loss, which had to sting).
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The production was plagued by hurricanes, tsunami warnings, stinging jellyfish and several injuries — including Costner, who almost died while riding out a storm stranded atop a mast after his safety line had snapped.
    Peter Kiefer, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • With the Giants plucking concepts from Ole Miss’ offense, Dart’s comfort level was obvious.
    Dan Duggan, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Tradition meets contemporary design with this sculptural vessel that looks like it was plucked from a contemporary art exhibition.
    Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • From rushing out of the office to get party-ready, or hustling through the airport and reuniting with loved ones, to finally arriving at a glamorous night out with friends, each scene conveys merriment and personal style set against the backdrop of New York City.
    Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Alongside her siblings, one of her first moments hustling was selling drinks to visitors who were on vacation.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In 2018 Marti DeLiemaof the University of Minnesota observed that the lack of a trustworthy network of friends or family best distinguished the older adults who had been defrauded from those who had not.
    Madhusree Mukerjee, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Wall Street Journal Charlie Javice was convicted of defrauding JPMorgan—but the bank is paying her legal bills.
    Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the decades that followed, Freeman, who died in 2025, assembled a vast array of literary fakes, collecting books whose content is deceiving in nature.
    Big Think, Big Think, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Experts have warned that such videos may go viral and deceive voters, potentially increasing voter distrust in the media and political system more generally.
    James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Swindle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swindle. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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