swindle

American  

[swin-dl] / ˈswɪn dl /

verb (used with object)

swindled, swindling

1. to cheat (a person, business, etc.) out of money or other assets.

   Synonyms:

   bamboozle , deceive , trick , dupe , cozen

2. to obtain by fraud or deceit.

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verb (used without object)

swindled, swindling

1. to put forward plausible schemes or use unscrupulous trickery to defraud others; cheat.

noun

1. an act of swindling or a fraudulent transaction or scheme.

2. anything deceptive; a fraud.

   This advertisement is a real swindle.

swindle British  

/ ˈswɪndəl /

verb

1. to cheat (someone) of money, etc; defraud

2. (tr) to obtain (money, etc) by fraud

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noun

1. a fraudulent scheme or transaction

Other Word Forms

• outswindle verb (used with object)
• swindleable adjective
• swindler noun
• swindlingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of swindle

First recorded in 1775–85; back formation from swindler ( def. )

Example Sentences

And while they concede that seniors may be more frequently targeted online than those younger, that, too, is based on a false assumption—that their age will make them easier to swindle.

From The Wall Street Journal

Scam compounds have flourished in Myanmar's lawless borderlands, staffed by foreigners -- many of them Chinese -- who often say they were trafficked and forced to swindle people online, part of a multibillion-dollar illicit industry.

From Barron's

Former Roma resident Judit Pusomai alleges she was swindled out of her mud house when someone tricked her into signing a property swap deal.

From Barron's

The problem was she was making plans not with “General Hospital” star Steve Burton, but with a scammer who intended not to romance her, but to swindle her.

From Los Angeles Times

He allegedly posed as the wealthy heir of a diamond mogul on dating app Tinder and swindled women into lending him large sums of money, which he never repaid.

From BBC

Related Words

• bilk
• con
• deceive
• defraud
• dupe
• extort
• fleece
• gouge
• hoodwink
• overcharge
• victimize