bilk
[ bilk ]
/ bɪlk /
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. QUIZ
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Origin of bilk
First recorded in 1625–35; of obscure origin
OTHER WORDS FROM bilk
bilker, nounDictionary.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
The Texas Republican practically bilked his donors by running the most unserious campaign in recent American history.
The California governor candidate hit back hard against charges she bilked a Hispanic housekeeper.
Recording companies bilked the artists who created the music.
He said he thought he had been bilked, and that the money would never be turned over.
She threw the paint-stained duster into the studio stove, stuck out her tongue at the sleeper, and whispered, 'Bilked!'
Were the owners and occupiers of the blocks of offices paid for them, or were they bilked like the hotel proprietors?
Don't tell me you bilked 'em all so 'andily on settin' that 'ouse afire.
But she is almost twenty; she is amazingly swift behind the bar, and no man has yet bilked her of a penny.
British Dictionary definitions for bilk
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, nounWord Origin for bilk
C17: perhaps variant of balk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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