fraud

[frawd]

See more synonyms for fraud on Thesaurus.com

noun

deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage.
a particular instance of such deceit or trickery: mail fraud; election frauds.
any deception, trickery, or humbug: That diet book is a fraud and a waste of time.

a person who makes deceitful pretenses; sham; poseur.

Origin of fraud

1300–50; Middle English fraude < Old French < Medieval Latin fraud- (stem of fraus) deceit, injury

Related formsfraud·ful, adjectivefraud·ful·ly, adverban·ti·fraud, adjectivepre·fraud, noun

Synonyms for fraud

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3. wile, hoax.

Synonym study

1. See duplicity.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for fraud

scam, blackmail, hoax, deceit, misrepresentation, extortion, graft, duplicity, cheat, fake, sting, shakedown, artifice, racket, sell, imposture, double-dealing, string, song, chicanery

Examples from the Web for fraud

Contemporary Examples of fraud

Mahoney helped author the I-STOP legislation based on data his office collected in regard to fraud.
No More Paper Prescriptions: Docs Fight Fraud by Going Electronic
Dale Eisinger
December 18, 2014
We are overwhelmed with data from every quarter, and our capacity to filter fact from fraud is limited.
The Facts About Ferguson Matter, Dammit
Doug McIntyre
December 3, 2014
Ortega has dismissed the allegations of autocracy and fraud that have afflicted his presidency as politically motivated.
China’s Nicaragua Canal Could Spark a New Central America Revolution
Nina Lakhani
November 30, 2014
The charges included corruption, perjury, bid-fixing and fraud.
Madonna, Carla Bruni & Obama Abandoned Pledges To Rebuild L'Aquila After The Quake
Barbie Latza Nadeau
November 18, 2014
There is wide consensus among attorneys that adoptive parents can vacate an adoption if acts of fraud were committed.
Couple Sues Over Russian ‘Bait-and-Switch’ Adoption of Disabled Kids
Tina Traster
October 30, 2014

Historical Examples of fraud

"Then I can only say that Captain Rushton was a party to the fraud," he said.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
"I'll venture insurance is at the bottom of this fraud, Caradoc," hazarded Madden.
The Cruise of the Dry Dock
T. S. Stribling
When it is complicated by fraud or other crimes, it is the latter only which are concerned.
The Sexual Question
August Forel
You mean it for the best; but I could not be party to a fraud.
Cleo The Magnificent
Louis Zangwill
How was it you did not detect the fraud, if only by the voice?
A Nest of Spies
Pierre Souvestre

British Dictionary definitions for fraud

fraud

noun

deliberate deception, trickery, or cheating intended to gain an advantage
an act or instance of such deception
something false or spurioushis explanation was a fraud
informal a person who acts in a false or deceitful way

Word Origin for fraud

C14: from Old French fraude, from Latin fraus deception

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

Word Origin and History for fraud

"criminal deception," early 14c., from Old French fraude "deception, fraud" (13c.), from Latin fraudem (nominative fraus) "deceit, injury." The noun meaning "impostor, humbug" is attested from 1850. Pious fraud "deception practiced for the sake of what is deemed a good purpose" is from 1560s.