defraud
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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defraudsimple
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defraudssimple
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have defraudedperfect
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has defraudedperfect
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am defraudingprogressive
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are defraudingprogressive
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is defraudingprogressive
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have been defraudingperfect progressive
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has been defraudingperfect progressive
Past
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defraudedsimple
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had defraudedperfect
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was defraudingprogressive
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were defraudingprogressive
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had been defraudingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of defraud
1325–75; Middle English defrauden < Old French defrauder < Latin dēfraudāre, equivalent to dē- de- + fraudāre to cheat; see 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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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.
But the jury absolved Musk of “engaging in a scheme to defraud Twitter investors.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026
In the indictment, prosecutors accused her of engaging in a scheme to defraud investors starting around November 2020.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 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
I’d just have to prove that they were using the telegraph company to defraud.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
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.
