defraud
Americanverb (used with object)
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defrauds,
present (3rd person singular)
-
defrauded,
past participle, past
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defrauding
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
defraudsimple
-
defraudssimple
-
have defraudedperfect
-
has defraudedperfect
-
am defraudingprogressive
-
are defraudingprogressive
-
is defraudingprogressive
-
have been defraudingperfect progressive
-
has been defraudingperfect progressive
Past
-
defraudedsimple
-
had defraudedperfect
-
was defraudingprogressive
-
were defraudingprogressive
-
had been defraudingperfect progressive
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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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.
See Examples For:
Jason Zadrozny was accused of setting up a fake heritage group to defraud Nottinghamshire County Council out of thousands of pounds and was found guilty last month.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
“The Perlmans want to hold accountable every individual and every company that defrauded them and perpetrated this scheme to defraud other victims,” said Luke Nikas, the Perlmans’ lawyer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Unless you actually set out to defraud the insurer, the company may not cancel your coverage even if you made a mistake on your application.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 12, 2026
Months later, he filed a lawsuit alleging defamation and said CNN had perpetrated “a deliberate scheme to defraud its own audience.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
“Dan and I are charged with ‘conspiracy to defraud the United States.’” he told reporters.
From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin
Garner Food Co. defrauds customers with its name and lone star logo on the iconic brand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2022
White-collar crime undermines the rule of law, defrauds victims, and disrupts the marketplace.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2018
If a senator, Cabinet secretary, or federal judge assaults or defrauds another citizen in violation of state law, he or she cannot claim immunity based on occupation of a federal office.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2017
“If a large brokerage firm defrauds you, at least they have the money to pay you back,” said Brian Smiley, an Atlanta- based securities lawyer.
From BusinessWeek ● Jul. 6, 2011
“Yes, sir,” replied the butler; “the sea defrauds many an honest undertaker of his profits.”
From The Pirate by Frederick Marryat
A digital media founder was ordered to repay defrauded investors $36 million.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
At their first meeting, he learned that the client, who was in her late 60s and showed no signs of cognitive decline, had been previously defrauded out of $20,000.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Bush, 48, of Otley in West Yorkshire, was "preoccupied with his own enrichment", defrauded nearly 200 families out of £562,117 and "caused anguish and pain on a scale beyond comprehension", the judge said.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
In a phone interview Friday night, Paulina Quintal, one of the victims, said many of the people he defrauded were farmworkers, including some who borrowed money from family back home in Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
The state racing board, tired of the whole mess, realized that the race’s nonbetting status gave them an out because the public had not been defrauded.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Holmes was convicted of defrauding investors in her medical testing company Theranos, fuelling a media circus that has been chronicled in books, podcasts and the mini-series The Dropout, starring Amanda Seyfried.
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
Holmes was convicted in 2022 of defrauding investors in her failed blood-testing company and sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
A New York woman admitted to defrauding Wesley Edens, a co-founder of Fortress Investment Group and co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks, resolving allegations that she had extorted the billionaire and swindled two other men.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
The government charged Kao in two separate cases: one for defrauding the loan program and another for his campaign finance crimes.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
They dare to do it in the face of the knowledge, held by the people, that they use their offices often for personal ends, defrauding the people.
From The Leaven in a Great City by Lillian William Betts
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
