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.

Nearby words

deformeter, deformity, defra, defrag, defragment, defraud, defray, defrayal, defriend, defrock, defrost

Origin of defraud

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

SYNONYMS FOR defraud

bilk, swindle, fleece, rip off, gyp, rook, cheat.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR defraud ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

de·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

After all, if a broker defrauds sophisticated investors, it might also defraud unsophisticated investors.
The SEC's Dangerous Gamble|Harvey Pitt|April 20, 2010|DAILY BEAST
To be frank, I seriously doubt if Madoff set out, with malice aforethought, to defraud anyone.
Why Bernie Did It|Mansfield Frazier|December 22, 2008|DAILY BEAST
Eleanor was not a girl to defraud them wilfully; so, as soon as she decently could, she got up for her bonnet.
The Warden|Anthony Trollope
Then he made a second affidavit, filed with a purpose to defraud the Government.
The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12)|Robert G. Ingersoll

He sees the poor weaving woman, weighing the wool, that she may not defraud her employers, and yet may win bread for her children.
Essays in Little|Andrew Lang
But what larger corporation was there than a nation, and what so easy to defraud as a government?
The Pit Prop Syndicate|Freeman Wills Crofts
That lad Dare—to take a practical view of it—has attempted to defraud me of one hundred pounds sterling, and he shall suffer.
A Laodicean|Thomas Hardy

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 Forms

defraudation (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