defraud
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has defraudedperfect 3rd person singular
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have defraudedperfect
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am defraudingprogressive 1st person singular
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are defraudingprogressive
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is defraudingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been defraudingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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defraudssingular 3rd person
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have been defraudingperfect progressive
-
defraudingparticiple
Past
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had defraudedperfect
-
was defraudingprogressive singular
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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
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.
The district attorney said the text messages would help prove “that intent to defraud, that intent to commit money laundering, this intent to violate our conflict of interest laws.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
Zhijia Fan, 48, and Daoyan Shang, 20, both of no fixed abode, deny conspiracy to defraud and possessing an article for use in fraud between January and March 2025.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026
“This diminished capacity will send bad actors the message that there will not be enough cops on the beat if they attempt to defraud or exploit our commodity and derivative markets,” Schiff says.
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
There seemed to be a real hunger for some sense of justice for Cook, who did not defraud anyone.
From Slate • Jan. 21, 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
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.
