bilk
[bilk]
- 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.
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- a cheat; swindler.
- a trick; fraud; deceit.
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Origin of bilk
First recorded in 1625–35; of obscure origin
Synonyms
See more synonyms for bilk on Thesaurus.com1. swindle, trick, dupe, fleece, rook.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for bilking
Contemporary Examples
The Welfare Queen Josh Levin, Slate In the 1970s, Ronald Reagan villainized a Chicago woman for bilking the government.
If convicted of manipulating and bilking Bettencourt, he could face up to three years in prison.
bilk
- 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
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- a swindle or cheat
- a person who swindles or cheats
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Word Origin
C17: perhaps variant of balk
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for bilking
bilk
v.
1650s, from or along with the noun (1630s), first used as a cribbage term; as a verb, "to spoil (someone's) score." Origin obscure, it was believed in 17c. to be "a word signifying nothing;" perhaps it s a thinned form of balk "to hinder." Meaning "to defraud" is first recorded 1670s. Related: Bilked; bilking.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper