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cozen

[ kuhz-uh n ]
/ ˈkʌz ən /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cozen ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with or without object)

to cheat, deceive, or trick.

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RELATED WORDS

dupe, hoodwink, cheat, bilk, chisel, trick, beguile, bamboozle, gyp, swindle, defraud, con, flimflam, fraud

Nearby words

coyotillo, coypel, coypu, coz, coze, cozen, cozenage, cozey, cozumel, cozy, cozy up

Origin of cozen

1565–75; perhaps < Old North French coçonner to resell, verbal derivative of coçon retailer (< Latin coctiōnem, accusative of coctiō, cōciō dealer), influenced by Middle French cousin dupe, literally, cousin
Related formscoz·en·er, nouncoz·en·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cozen

British Dictionary definitions for cozen

cozen

/ (ˈkʌzən) /

verb

to cheat or trick (someone)
Derived Formscozenage, nouncozener, noun

Word Origin for cozen

C16: cant term perhaps related to cousin
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

Word Origin and History for cozen

cozen

v.

1560s, of uncertain origin; perhaps from French cousiner "cheat on pretext of being a cousin;" or from Middle English cosyn "fraud, trickery" (mid-15c.), which is perhaps related to Old French coçon "dealer, merchant, trader," from Latin cocionem "horse dealer." Related: Cozened; cozening; cozenage.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper