bilk

[ bilk ]

/ bɪlk /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bilk 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.

Nearby words

biliteral, biliterate, bilith, biliuria, biliverdin, bilk, bill, bill broker, bill of adventure, bill of attainder, bill of entry

Origin of bilk

First recorded in 1625–35; of obscure origin

SYNONYMS FOR bilk

1 swindle, trick, dupe, fleece, rook.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bilk ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

bilk·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bilk

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
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

We observe that a new planet has been discovered at Bilk, in Germany.
The Continental Monthly, Vol 2, No 6, December 1862|Various
This gaffer contrived to 'bilk' all the turnpikes in the kingdom.
The Gaming Table: Its Votaries and Victims|Andrew Steinmetz
This could be no other than an incantation, and Bilk stood rooted to the spot, unable to advance or retreat.
Parkhurst Boys|Talbot Baines Reed
The whole meeting, in fact, was what is vulgarly called a bilk.
Merry-Garden and Other Stories|Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

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

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