fraud
Americannoun
-
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.
noun
-
deliberate deception, trickery, or cheating intended to gain an advantage
-
an act or instance of such deception
-
something false or spurious
his explanation was a fraud
-
informal a person who acts in a false or deceitful way
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”
Explanation
A fraud is a something that deceives or tricks another person, usually to get their money. Frauds are dishonest. A fraud is something that sounds too good to be true — because it isn't. If you're promised millions of dollars by anyone on the Internet, that's got to be a fraud. Anyone trying to sell you a bridge is committing fraud. Identity theft is a type of fraud. Democrats and Republicans frequently accuse the other party of fraud when it comes to counting votes. You can also tell a person who is fake or an impostor is a fraud.
Vocabulary lists containing fraud
A Web of Lies
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Best Starting Words for Wordle
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Smoke and Mirrors: The Lingo of Illusion and Deception
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Americans alone lost $10 billion to online fraud originating from Southeast Asia in 2024, according to U.S. government data.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
But thousands of other entrepreneurs and investors will benefit once the fiction of victimless disgorgement is set aside and the SEC focuses on punishing fraud with actual victims.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
Global fraud losses are now over half a trillion dollars a year, according to the Global Anti-Scam Alliance.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
This month, Zuckerman, Tamrazian and Muradkhanyan pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud in a plea bargain with prosecutors and were sentenced to 180 days in jail and supervised probation, according to court records.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
Finally the boldest of us confessed that the entire thing was a fraud and we played hooky from church.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
