defraud
Americanverb (used with object)
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defrauds,
present (3rd person singular)
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defrauded,
past participle, past
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defrauding
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
defraudsimple
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defraudssimple
-
have defraudedperfect
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has defraudedperfect
-
am defraudingprogressive
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are defraudingprogressive
-
is defraudingprogressive
-
have been defraudingperfect progressive
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has been defraudingperfect progressive
Past
-
defraudedsimple
-
had defraudedperfect
-
was defraudingprogressive
-
were defraudingprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
Each of the former Barclays traders in Wednesday's successful appeal had originally been convicted of a single count of conspiracy to defraud as result of alleged attempts to influence financial benchmark rates.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Unless you actually set out to defraud the insurer, the company may not cancel your coverage even if you made a mistake on your application.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 12, 2026
It said it fought against deceptive behaviour to scam or defraud people and businesses.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
Months later, he filed a lawsuit alleging defamation and said CNN had perpetrated “a deliberate scheme to defraud its own audience.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 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
Garner Food Co. defrauds customers with its name and lone star logo on the iconic brand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2022
White-collar crime undermines the rule of law, defrauds victims, and disrupts the marketplace.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2018
If a senator, Cabinet secretary, or federal judge assaults or defrauds another citizen in violation of state law, he or she cannot claim immunity based on occupation of a federal office.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2017
“If a large brokerage firm defrauds you, at least they have the money to pay you back,” said Brian Smiley, an Atlanta- based securities lawyer.
From BusinessWeek ● Jul. 6, 2011
Watching every opportunity of gaining the desirable privilege, he buys the birthright of his brother, and defrauds him of their father's blessing.
From Autobiography: Truth and Fiction Relating to My Life by John Oxenford
A digital media founder was ordered to repay defrauded investors $36 million.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
At their first meeting, he learned that the client, who was in her late 60s and showed no signs of cognitive decline, had been previously defrauded out of $20,000.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
In a phone interview Friday night, Paulina Quintal, one of the victims, said many of the people he defrauded were farmworkers, including some who borrowed money from family back home in Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
The plot reportedly came to light when authorities launched an investigation when a man claimed he had been defrauded by a man falsely presenting himself as a judge.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The state racing board, tired of the whole mess, realized that the race’s nonbetting status gave them an out because the public had not been defrauded.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
For example, Jason Galanis, who pled guilty to defrauding the Oglala Sioux Nation, had paid just over $2 million of his $80 million restitution before his sentence was commuted and the restitution erased in 2025.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
In other countries in the world, where medication is available for everyone who needs it, defrauding the public with worthless remedies is curtailed if not made impossible.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Plus: The founder of private-company investment firm charged with defrauding investors, and the U.S. says it’s fed up with China’s overcapacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
He's certain there are more, too – but is unperturbed at the idea that his neighbours might be defrauding people out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
They dare to do it in the face of the knowledge, held by the people, that they use their offices often for personal ends, defrauding the people.
From The Leaven in a Great City by Lillian William Betts
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.
