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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.
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Origin of bilk

First recorded in 1625–35; of obscure origin

OTHER WORDS FROM bilk

bilker, noun

Words nearby bilk

biliteral, biliterate, bilith, biliuria, biliverdin, bilk, bill, billable, billabong, billbergia, billboard
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

Words related to bilk

con, deceive, defraud, fleece, swindle, bamboozle, beat, circumvent, disappoint, do, foil, frustrate, gyp, overreach, rook, ruin, snow, thwart, trick, flimflam

How to use bilk in a sentence

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
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