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defraud

[ dih-frawd ]
/ dɪˈfrɔd /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR defraud ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

to deprive of a right, money, or property by fraud: Dishonest employees defrauded the firm of millions of dollars.

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RELATED WORDS

fleece, victimize, rob, dupe, deceive, embezzle, con, circumvent, swindle, pilfer, hoax, clip, stick, do, burn, milk, foil, outwit, shaft, trick

Nearby words

  1. deformeter,
  2. deformity,
  3. defra,
  4. defrag,
  5. defragment,
  6. defray,
  7. defrayal,
  8. defriend,
  9. defrock,
  10. defrost

Origin of defraud

1325–75; Middle English defrauden < Old French defrauder < Latin dēfraudāre, equivalent to dē- de- + fraudāre to cheat; see fraud
Related formsde·frau·da·tion [dee-fraw-dey-shuhn] /ˌdi frɔˈdeɪ ʃən/, de·fraud·ment, nounde·fraud·er, nounun·de·fraud·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for defraud

British Dictionary definitions for defraud

defraud

/ (dɪˈfrɔːd) /

verb

(tr) to take away or withhold money, rights, property, etc, from (a person) by fraud; cheat; swindle
Derived Formsdefraudation (ˌdiːfrɔːˈdeɪʃən) or defraudment, noundefrauder, 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

Word Origin and History for defraud

defraud

v.

mid-14c., from Old French defrauder, from Latin defraudare "to defraud, cheat," from de- "thoroughly" (see de-) + fraudare (see fraud). Related: Defrauded; defrauding.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper