bilk

[ bilk ]

/ bɪlk /

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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.

OTHER WORDS FOR bilk

1 swindle, trick, dupe, fleece, rook.

See synonyms for bilk on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of bilk

First recorded in 1625–35; of obscure origin

OTHER WORDS FROM bilk

bilker, noun

Words nearby bilk

bilirubin, biliteral, biliterate, bilith, biliverdin, bilk, bill, billable, billabong, billbergia, billboard

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

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|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|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|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

Derived forms of bilk

bilker, noun

Word Origin for bilk

C17: perhaps variant of balk

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

bilk

OTHER WORDS FOR bilk

Origin of bilk

OTHER WORDS FROM bilk

Words nearby bilk

Words related to bilk

How to use bilk in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bilk

Derived forms of bilk

Word Origin for bilk