cozen

[ kuhz-uhn ]
See synonyms for: cozencozeningcozener on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with or without object)
  1. to cheat, deceive, or trick.

Origin of cozen

1
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

Other words from cozen

  • coz·en·er, noun
  • coz·en·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cozen in a sentence

  • Thou shouldst have lied, cozened, out-sworn truth itself, rather than stood betwixt me and my revenge!

    The Fortunes of Nigel | Sir Walter Scott
  • What if Francis, less easily cozened than the countess, should find his suspicions aroused?

    Under the Rose | Frederic Stewart Isham
  • Note the expression of his hate in “Old Gandolf cozened me,” though he fought tooth and nail to save his niche.

  • Now it made me so laugh to think how they would be cozened, that I could not follow my master.

  • You have been cozened, Signore, in a state, whose very prince dare not trust his secrets to his wife.

    The Bravo | J. Fenimore Cooper

British Dictionary definitions for cozen

cozen

/ (ˈkʌzən) /


verb
  1. to cheat or trick (someone)

Origin of cozen

1
C16: cant term perhaps related to cousin

Derived forms of cozen

  • cozenage, noun
  • cozener, noun

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