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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
Clark also had to consider how the swindle would affect customers. Phil Wahba, Fortune, 22 Sep. 2024 In March, after reaching an agreement with the prosecution, Larson pleaded guilty to one count each of theft by swindle and identity theft and faced a presumptive prison term. Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 21 May 2025
Verb
After Friedman swindled the Red Sox to acquire Betts in 2020, Walter inked the former American League MVP to a contract extension worth $365 million. Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 19 June 2025 The digital marketing expert stressed that getting swindled by scammers isn’t just a niche concern. Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for swindle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swindle
Noun
  • But the incident is the latest high-profile example of how easy—and alarmingly convincing—AI voice scams have become.
    Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 10 July 2025
  • Less than halfway through 2025, eight similar scams have cost victims more than $256,000.
    Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • Business Technology News #5 – Here are 10 ways to use Grok 4 that feel like cheating: AI resources platform God of Prompt listed 10 creative ways to use Grok 4 – xAI’s large language model – on its X feed.
    Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 20 July 2025
  • What People Are Saying Byron's wife, Megan Kerrigan Byron, removed her last name from her Facebook account and later deleted it following the cheating allegations, Page Six reported.
    Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025
Verb
  • Marlene alleged her son grabbed and started to squeeze her throat.
    Christine Pelisek, People.com, 11 July 2025
  • Kalvin Phillips squeezes a pass through the gap and into Omari Hutchinson, taking three Forest players out of the game.
    Thom Harris, New York Times, 11 July 2025
Verb
  • The bees became aggressive and stung the man multiple times.
    Laura Daniella Sepulveda, AZCentral.com, 9 July 2025
  • Opting for a two-piece swimsuit in favor of a one-piece could also reduce your chances of getting stung.
    Evan Moore July 8, Charlotte Observer, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • Historically, Sioux warriors would lure an eagle with rabbit or other food, pluck a few feathers and release it, said Thunder Hawk, who grew up in South Dakota.
    Giovanna Dell'orto, Twin Cities, 13 July 2025
  • Gunn takes the vast canon of Superman lore — from various iterations of the comics to TV shows like Smallville to the Donner films — and treats it like a grab bag, plucking elements from many sources.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025
Verb
  • Grobstein, then working for WLS-AM, hustled back to the press box.
    Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025
  • The veteran major-leaguer — who has spent the majority of his career as a catcher — showed athleticism in the first inning, hustling to get an out at first base after starting pitcher Kris Bubic took a comebacker off his shin.
    Maddie Hartley July 10, Kansas City Star, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • In the indictment Friday, prosecutors claimed that Hunsicker defrauded investors in CaaStle and Brendan Hoffman’s fashion investment platform P180 out of more than $300 million.
    Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
  • All four people faced charges of conspiracy to defraud the federal government, along with two counts related to improper disposal of government property.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2025
Verb
  • More than 20 children are in the custody of a Southern California child-welfare agency as authorities investigate allegations of child abuse and whether surrogate mothers were deceived by a Los Angeles-area couple.
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 17 July 2025
  • And then he was wishy-washy, went back and forth, and she was deceived and disappointed by him.
    Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 15 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Swindle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swindle. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.

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