bilk

[ bilk ]

See synonyms for: bilk bilked bilker on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to defraud; cheat: He bilked the government of almost a million dollars.
to evade payment of (a debt).

to frustrate: a career bilked by poor health.
to escape from; elude: to bilk one's pursuers.

noun

a cheat; swindler.
a trick; fraud; deceit.

Origin of bilk

First recorded in 1625–35; of obscure origin

Other words for bilk

1	swindle, trick, dupe, fleece, rook

See synonyms for bilk on Thesaurus.com

Other words from bilk

bilker, noun

Words Nearby bilk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bilk in a sentence

The lawsuit alleged that Danone used these claims to bilk consumers out of more than $100 million.
Your Probiotic Is Probably B.S. | Carrie Arnold | June 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
"He told me Andrew had tried to bilk $50 million out of Mrs. Mellon," said Toben.
Witness Testifies He Took Rielle Hunter to an Airport in the Dead of Night | Diane Dimond | May 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
Con artists routinely hack into accounts to impersonate people and bilk money from strangers.
Catfish's Photo Fraud Victim | Gina Piccalo | October 4, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Bubbly, I contrived to bilk the doctor, by going twice a day to a place with a hole in it, over some large cookery vapours.
The Remarkable History of Sir Thomas Upmore, bart., M.P., formerly known as "Tommy Upmore" | R. D. Blackmore
But wouldn't it have been a dirty act to bilk him of his money, all the more as it would have been so easy?
Wild Justice: Stories of the South Seas | Lloyd Osbourne

Im so contented now Im getting over-weight, and youd bilk me again.
The Making of Bobby Burnit | George Randolph Chester
Have you set another man on the track with a view to bilk me of my promised fee?
Lucretia, Complete | Edward Bulwer-Lytton
A new planet of the eleventh magnitude was discovered by Luther, at the observatory of bilk, near Dusseldorf.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for bilk

bilk

/ (bɪlk) /

verb(tr)

to balk; thwart
(often foll by of) to cheat or deceive, esp to avoid making payment to

to escape from; elude
cribbage to play a card that hinders (one's opponent) from scoring in his or her crib

noun

a swindle or cheat
a person who swindles or cheats

Origin of bilk

C17: perhaps variant of balk

Derived forms of bilk

bilker, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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