fraud

American  

[frawd] / frɔd /

noun

• frauds
  plural

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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Synonym Usage

See duplicity.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• frauds
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fraud frauds

There’s quite a bit of sociological foreshadowing suggested by “Juiced”—about transgressive entertainment, the fraud of “unscripted TV,” even the desperate need of Simpson to recapture his once-adoring audience when no such thing was possible.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Other figures disclosed at the event show that the EFCC's caseload is increasingly focused on cybercrime and fraud rather than just corruption cases against high-profile officials.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

He later served time in prison, pleading guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and other charges, but President Donald Trump commuted his sentence in October 2025.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

At the time, prosecutors said he had defrauded about 28 victims and that the fraud totaled about $993,000.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

In fact, Cofield had served years in various prisons for fraud, much of it involving bad checks, and he’d spent his jail time taking law courses and launching what one judge called “frivolous” lawsuits.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

A congressional review in 1952 found that hundreds had been frauds.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 18, 2026

The cases against Lindberg, 55, centered on what prosecutors called “one of the biggest insurance frauds in history.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

"These scams were the dominant variety three or four years ago, but frauds have now moved to another level, and are far more sophisticated."

From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026

While revalidating providers won’t uncover all frauds, it could “deter criminal actors from continuing their fraud schemes.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 29, 2026

The field swarmed with charming frauds and con men, such as Cagliostro and the Count of Saint-Germain, who pretended not only to transmute the elements but also to hold the secret of immortality.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

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