Synonym Chooser

How does the verb cozen contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cozen are cheat, defraud, and swindle. While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose.

always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

Where would cheat be a reasonable alternative to cozen?

The words cheat and cozen can be used in similar contexts, but cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

When would defraud be a good substitute for cozen?

In some situations, the words defraud and cozen are roughly equivalent. 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

When can swindle be used instead of cozen?

While in some cases nearly identical to cozen, swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

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 cozen The point, however, is not to entertain the driver/employee but to cozen the owner. Dan Neil, WSJ, 19 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cozen
Verb
  • Jurors found Peters guilty in August for using someone else’s security badge to give an expert affiliated with My Pillow chief executive Mike Lindell access to the Mesa County election system and deceiving other officials about that person’s identity.
    Colleen Slevin, Twin Cities, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Stribling tried to deceive officers by saying Bailei was shot in a robbery, The Detroit News reported.
    Mike Stunson, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Disgruntled attendees, many of them authors, said they felt cheated by event organizers, who failed to deliver on most, if not all fronts.
    Amaris Encinas, USA Today, 7 May 2025
  • In their stories about others, 92% chronicled how misfortune befell cheating partners, indebted friends, bullies and lousy coworkers.
    Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • Rather than get stuck in or fooled by the appearance of things, this principle reminded us to sense their energetic underpinnings, such as clarity and intention.
    Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
  • Don’t be fooled by the context of what is said: the basis for the drama is jealousy and control.
    Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • To a visitor’s eye, the light switch is nowhere to be found—that is, until a tintype photograph is plucked from a ledge near the front door to reveal a white plastic switch plate.
    Shoko Wanger, Architectural Digest, 1 May 2025
  • More than 260 Southern California steelhead trout were plucked from their stream in the Palisades fire burn scar and moved to a different area, saving them from lethal debris flows.
    Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The latest attacks follow recent patterns, mimicking Google’s own support to trick users into giving up credentials.
    Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
  • Elsewhere in the film, the Irish vampire Remmick, pursued by Choctaw vampire hunters, tricks his way into the protection of a pair of Klan members living near Clarksdale and turns them into creatures of the night.
    Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 2 May 2025
Verb
  • That play — not even a full turnover, mind you — is what stings a full year later.
    Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 3 May 2025
  • Malone, who gets Mincemeat’s best song, still looks like a favorite in his category, and Mincemeat did get recognition for its score (written by three of its stars, members of the same comedy troupe), but the lack of enthusiasm elsewhere must sting.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • For now, the researchers have left the ship in situ, partially covering it with original soil and squeezing wet sponges onto it to preserve moisture.
    Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
  • The question of whether a modern Phantom can squeeze through the driveway gates remains to be seen.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Marchand hustled down the ice to negate a potential icing call.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2025
  • Late in the first half, with Orlando already on a 10-0 run, White hustled back to stop a four-on-one fast break.
    Jay King, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Cozen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cozen. Accessed 13 May. 2025.

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