bilk
[ bilk ]
/ bɪlk /
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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, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for bilk
The Welfare Queen Josh Levin, Slate In the 1970s, Ronald Reagan villainized a Chicago woman for bilking the government.
No major right-wing media figures ever speak out against the widespread practice of constantly bilking credulous old people.
If convicted of manipulating and bilking Bettencourt, he could face up to three years in prison.
Free bilking, free burgling, and so on, sound no less contradictory.
Hugh, Bishop of Lincoln|Charles L. Marson
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, nounWord Origin for bilk
C17: perhaps variant of balk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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