bilk
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to balk; thwart
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(often foll by of) to cheat or deceive, esp to avoid making payment to
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to escape from; elude
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cribbage to play a card that hinders (one's opponent) from scoring in his or her crib
noun
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a swindle or cheat
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a person who swindles or cheats
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has bilkedperfect 3rd person singular
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have bilkedperfect
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has been bilkingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am bilkingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been bilkingperfect progressive
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are bilkingprogressive
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bilkssingular 3rd person
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bilkingparticiple
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is bilkingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had bilkedperfect
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was bilkingprogressive singular
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bilkedparticiple
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bilkedsimple
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were bilkingprogressive plural
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had been bilkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bilk
First recorded in 1625–35; of obscure origin
Explanation
Ever paid a restaurant bill only to discover they charged you for stuff you never had? What they did was bilk you — cheat you out of money that was justly yours. Shady companies are forever bilking their investors. To bilk someone is slightly different from plain robbing them, though the effect is the same; it implies a non-violent, subtle and devious method masquerading as legitimate. Bernie Madoff, the Ponzi scheme king, was a classic bilker. On a more enjoyable note, one of the greatest bilkers in TV history was the appropriately named Sergeant Bilko, played by the comedian Phil Silvers. His eternal card games, promotions and get-rich-quick schemes were all designed to part some poor sucker from their cash. Watch and learn from the master.
Vocabulary lists containing bilk
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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.
Sanberg pleaded guilty in October to federal charges of conspiring to bilk investors out of $248 million for portraying the now-defunct Aspiration as a “socially-conscious and sustainable banking services and investment products” firm.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
State subsidies are paid directly to child-care providers, which could enable fraudsters to set up fly-by-night day care to bilk the government.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 2, 2026
Guo, who is accused of engaging in a complex scheme to bilk thousands of online followers, was arrested this month in his 9,000-square-foot New York apartment.
From New York Times • Mar. 30, 2023
Costello wouldn’t be the only former Washingtonian accused of fabricating his résumé to bilk investors.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2022
You are a high-toned, gentlemanly sort of a bilk, and wouldn't take anything you couldn't lift.
From Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa 1883 by Smith, Gean
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.
