fraud

American  

[frawd] / frɔd /

noun

1. deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage.

2. a particular instance of such deceit or trickery.

   mail fraud; election frauds.

3. any deception, trickery, or humbug.

   That diet book is a fraud and a waste of time.

   Synonyms:

   hoax, wile

4. a person who makes deceitful pretenses; sham; poseur.

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fraud British  

/ frɔːd /

noun

1. deliberate deception, trickery, or cheating intended to gain an advantage

2. an act or instance of such deception

3. something false or spurious

   his explanation was a fraud

4. informal a person who acts in a false or deceitful way

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Related Words

See duplicity.

Other Word Forms

• antifraud adjective
• fraudful adjective
• fraudfully adverb
• prefraud noun

Etymology

Origin of fraud

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English fraude, from Old French, from Medieval Latin fraud-, stem of fraus “deceit, injury”

Example Sentences

A former presiding judge of the county’s Superior Court, Daniel Buckley, was also brought on to vet DTLA’s cases following the allegations of fraud.

From Los Angeles Times

The administration, Mr. Oz said, has notified Minnesota that it is “deferring” $259 million in quarterly Medicaid payments to the state until it acts to get its fraud under control.

From The Wall Street Journal

The second committee also failed to find any evidence of fraud.

From Literature

Glover is being sued for an unspecified amount of damages over allegations of battery, fraud and wrongful eviction, among other counts.

From Los Angeles Times

The future isn’t so bright for employees of companies that imploded because of a scandal that involved fraud, court trials and widespread news coverage, the researchers found.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• blackmail
• deceit
• extortion
• graft
• hoax
• misrepresentation
• scam