defraud
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
- defraudation noun
- defrauder noun
- defraudment noun
- undefrauded adjective
Etymology
Origin of defraud
1325–75; Middle English defrauden < Old French defrauder < Latin dēfraudāre, equivalent to dē- de- + fraudāre to cheat; fraud
Explanation
To defraud is to con someone out of money. Defrauding is a sneaky crime. If you know that a fraud is some kind of a scam, then you're on the way to understanding what defraud means. If someone defrauds you, they are cheating you out of money. Ponzi schemes—also known as pyramid schemes—are a type of defrauding. A guy trying to sell you a bridge is a type of defrauding, as is a foreign prince asking for money via email. Be wary!
Vocabulary lists containing defraud
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Trash
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The district attorney said the text messages would help prove “that intent to defraud, that intent to commit money laundering, this intent to violate our conflict of interest laws.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
But the jury absolved Musk of “engaging in a scheme to defraud Twitter investors.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
Zhijia Fan, 48, and Daoyan Shang, 20, both of no fixed abode, deny conspiracy to defraud and possessing an article for use in fraud between January and March 2025.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2026
“This diminished capacity will send bad actors the message that there will not be enough cops on the beat if they attempt to defraud or exploit our commodity and derivative markets,” Schiff says.
From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026
Ned was unaware of the existence of these debts and believed the creditors were trying to defraud him—until they presented documents signed by the previous owner, H. H. Holmes.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
