as in cheated
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
hundreds of people were swindled out of their savings, and all they had to show for it were fake land deeds
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Recent Examples of swindled
After over a decade of partnership, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is suing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for more than $130 billion, alleging that Altman and OpenAI cofounder Greg Brockman swindled him and betrayed the company’s founding charitable mission.
—
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026
Holder was one of thousands of Americans swindled out of a total estimated at $20 billion by way of cyber theft in 2025, according to the FBI.
—Anna Schecter, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
The seizures were the result of an investigation launched after Andress reported to Swiss authorities that she had been swindled out of assets by financial advisers.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
But according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Santa Barbara, Ireland and her husband have been swindled out of their home equity and their life insurance policies, forced to sell their home, and left without substantial savings.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Robin Williams was swindled a few times.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
Many indigenous groups on this continent whom settlers swindled, attacked, and displaced have a long history of using sweat lodges both for cleaning the body and in ritual.
—Madeline Leung Coleman, Curbed, 25 Feb. 2026
This was partly out of deference to a president who thinks not of enemies but only of potential counterparties to be bargained with, bullied, swindled, or accommodated.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
Some alleged Sunlight simply stopped working while the job was only partway completed; the rest said they were swindled out of downpayments and ended up with nothing.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026
Holder was one of thousands of Americans swindled out of a total estimated at $20 billion by way of cyber theft in 2025, according to the FBI.
—Anna Schecter, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
The seizures were the result of an investigation launched after Andress reported to Swiss authorities that she had been swindled out of assets by financial advisers.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
But according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Santa Barbara, Ireland and her husband have been swindled out of their home equity and their life insurance policies, forced to sell their home, and left without substantial savings.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
Robin Williams was swindled a few times.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026
Many indigenous groups on this continent whom settlers swindled, attacked, and displaced have a long history of using sweat lodges both for cleaning the body and in ritual.
—Madeline Leung Coleman, Curbed, 25 Feb. 2026
This was partly out of deference to a president who thinks not of enemies but only of potential counterparties to be bargained with, bullied, swindled, or accommodated.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
Some alleged Sunlight simply stopped working while the job was only partway completed; the rest said they were swindled out of downpayments and ended up with nothing.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swindled
Verb
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The reportedly yearlong relationship is notable in that, after their split in 2015, Stocking posted and deleted tweets saying the basketball player cheated, per The New York Post.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
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This is the same team that cheated and got caught how many times, going back to Bill Belichick and golden boy Tom Brady (Deflategate)?—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Dominguez hustled back to the wall and made a spectacular catch, but crashed incredibly hard into the wall.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
Caminero led off with a walk, then hustled to third when Aranda followed with a single.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 May 2026
Verb
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There’s no trace of anything strummed or plucked; clusters of tone simply materialize out of thin air, as capricious as weather.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
6 May 2026
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He’s plucked employees from companies like Uber, Google, and Facebook to professionalize the place.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Now owned by the National Gallery in London, the painting, showing Roman god Cupid complaining to his mother Venus about being stung by bees, can be seen in the center of a blurry, black-and-white photograph dating to the 1940s that was published in a 1978 furniture catalog.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
11 May 2026
-
Teng stung in fourth The Astros deployed Kai-Wei Teng as an opener for the second time this season.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, American families are getting squeezed by high gas prices, unaffordable housing, soaring grocery bills and out-of-touch politicians who are more focused on woke ideology than on real solutions.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
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Geneva coach Brad Wendell knew that Kastor’s slow start last season squeezed him out of the lineup.—
Paul Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
8 May 2026
Verb
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If Miranda Priestly can get thrown in steerage, we’re all screwed.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
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But that doesn’t mean working people aren’t getting screwed.—
Stuart Miller,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But Brockman mostly maintained composure while explaining why his journals shouldn’t be viewed as a smoking gun proving that Musk was defrauded.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
5 May 2026
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Prosecutors say Goliath, based in Central Florida, defrauded investors of at least $328 million.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
Verb
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With Venus in Gemini aligning with Pluto in Aquarius, honest conversations help shift situations that have been stuck.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
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But as OutKick’s Joe Kinsey noted, the platform would often combine WNBA and NFL games, leaving subscribers stuck watching both.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Swindled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swindled. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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