Thesaurus results for SWINDLES

swindles 1 of 2

noun

plural of swindle

as in scams

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value identity theft has become one of the most frequent and feared swindles of our time

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swindles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of swindle

as in cheats

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 swindles

Noun

In a case pending in federal court in Oakland, California, three Facebook users allege that the company profits from online swindles at the expense of users. — David Ingram, NBC news, 12 May 2026 Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions — collectively known as hoaxes. — Scott Neuman, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025 These swindles are not only highly organized but also systematized. — Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 19 Sep. 2022

Verb

This period comedy set in England in the 1930s stars Ben Radcliffe as a thief who swindles his way into a hall boy position at posh Fackham Hall, only to hook up with the daughter of the house and finagle his way into a position of privilege. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 6 Mar. 2026 He gets chased by cops, swindles the wrong ping-pong goobers and becomes embroiled in a canine extortion scheme. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swindles

Noun

The duo shared an apartment and both had extensive criminal histories, including theft and financial scams, across various states.

— Samantha Bergeson, Time, 22 Oct. 2026
Kair noted that property scams happen hundreds of times a year, usually targeting seniors and typically involving realtors or lawyers.

— Joan Murray, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of scams

Verb

The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.

— Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Any forward who cheats for defence, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has for much of his career, will play an elevated role on a Babcock team.

— Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of cheats

Noun

Only once the Buffs emptied offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s playbook, there was nothing left to fire at McGuire’s frauds.

— Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026
In my phishing protection test, Avira successfully detected and defeated 100% of real-world phishing frauds.

— Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of frauds

Verb

Jessica Gonzalez hustles behind her booth at the recent Renegade Craft Fair, frantically ringing up sales, answering questions and packaging her beeswax candles.

— Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Despite concerns that chip stocks could be topping out as the industry hustles to boost supply, Wall Street thinks Micron still has plenty of room to run.

— Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 June 2026

Definition of hustles

Verb

Trump sometimes plucks memes from a sprawling ecosystem of online conservative supporters, and sometimes his government staff produces them as part of their official messaging.

— Josh Boak, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.

— Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

Definition of plucks

Verb

But the strain extends across the Global South, where developing nations struggle with a prolonged energy crisis that disproportionately squeezes the planet’s most deprived.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 Oct. 2026
Meta squeezes two independent light-guiding cores into a single standard glass strand to double its bandwidth.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

Clement famously tried to get the Supreme Court to overturn President Obama's signature health care law, a loss that still stings.

— Carrie Johnson, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
General Mills spun off Darden Restaurants in 1995, and then Darden sold Red Lobster in 2014, in a deal with the private equity firm Golden Gate Capital that still stings many veterans to this day.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of stings

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swindles

swindling

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“Swindles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swindles. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of swindles

noun

verb

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