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.

noun

a cheat; swindler.

a trick; fraud; deceit.

Words related to bilk

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

Words nearby bilk

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.

OTHER WORDS FROM bilk

bilk·er, noun

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

Examples from the Web for bilking

The Welfare Queen Josh Levin, Slate In the 1970s, Ronald Reagan villainized a Chicago woman for bilking the government.
The Week’s Best Longreads for December 21, 2013|David Sessions|December 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
If convicted of manipulating and bilking Bettencourt, he could face up to three years in prison.
Fight for the L'Oreal Billions|Eric Pape|September 5, 2009|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for bilking

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