defraud
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have defraudedperfect
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has defraudedperfect 3rd person singular
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is defraudingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been defraudingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been defraudingperfect progressive
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defraudssingular 3rd person
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am defraudingprogressive 1st person singular
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are defraudingprogressive
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defraudingparticiple
Past
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had defraudedperfect
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were defraudingprogressive plural
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had been defraudingperfect progressive
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defraudedsimple
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defraudedparticiple
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was defraudingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of defraud
1325–75; Middle English defrauden < Old French defrauder < Latin dēfraudāre, equivalent to dē- de- + fraudāre to cheat; see fraud
Explanation
To defraud is to con someone out of money. Defrauding is a sneaky crime. If you know that a fraud is some kind of a scam, then you're on the way to understanding what defraud means. If someone defrauds you, they are cheating you out of money. Ponzi schemes—also known as pyramid schemes—are a type of defrauding. A guy trying to sell you a bridge is a type of defrauding, as is a foreign prince asking for money via email. Be wary!
Vocabulary lists containing defraud
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Trash
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Love a sensible servant as your own self, Defraud him not of liberty.
From The Makers and Teachers of Judaism by Kent, Charles Foster
Wot tho' the sly contracters Defraud us rite and left, And Uncle Sam's old stockin' Of all his cash is reft?
From Letters of Major Jack Downing, of the Downingville Militia by Smith, Seba
Sir 14:14 Defraud not thyself of the good day, and let not the part of a good desire overpass thee.
From Deuterocanonical Books of the Bible Apocrypha by Anonymous
Indeed, if circumstances drive, Defraud, or take false oaths you may, Or to the charms of life give way, When Love must needs the door unbar.
From Fables of La Fontaine — a New Edition, with Notes by Wright, Elizur
Defraud, de-frawd′, v.t. to deprive of by fraud: to withhold wrongfully: to cheat or deceive.—ns.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
