defraud

[dih-frawd]

verb (used with object)

1. to deprive of a right, money, or property by fraud.

   Dishonest employees defrauded the firm of millions of dollars.

   Synonyms: cheat, rook, rip off, fleece, swindle, bilk

defraud

/ dɪˈfrɔːd, ˌdiːfrɔːˈdeɪʃən /

verb

1. (tr) to take away or withhold money, rights, property, etc, from (a person) by fraud; cheat; swindle

Other Word Forms

• defraudation noun
• defraudment noun
• defrauder noun
• undefrauded adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of defraud¹

1325–75; Middle English defrauden < Old French defrauder < Latin dēfraudāre, equivalent to dē- de- + fraudāre to cheat; fraud

Example Sentences

Christiane Irwin, a 46-year-old Texas accountant convicted of defrauding a law firm where she worked, said in a telephone interview she could discuss Maxwell only in general terms because of the prohibition.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Those tactics included secretly cornering slivers of the financial markets and “watering” stock—defrauding investors by issuing shares well above their book value.

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Lou is charged with two counts: conspiring to defraud the U.S. and making contributions in the names of others.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Aetna alleges in a lawsuit filed last year that Young and others defrauded the insurer of at least $40 million for fabricated addiction treatment at about a dozen facilities Aetna described as “drug dens.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In Senegal, police arrested 22 suspects and uncovered a network that impersonated celebrities and used emotional manipulation on social media and dating platforms to defraud 120 victims of approximately $34,000.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• circumvent 
• con 
• deceive 
• dupe 
• embezzle 
• fleece 
• rob 
• swindle 
• victimize