fraud

[frawd]

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.

fraud

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fraud¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fraud¹

C14: from Old French fraude , from Latin fraus deception

Synonym Study

See duplicity.

Example Sentences

The US subsequently charged Boeing with one count of criminal fraud conspiracy, accusing Boeing of deliberately concealing from regulators key information about its flight control software, which was implicated in the crashes.

Read more on BBC

Argentine ex-president Cristina Kirchner, already serving a six-year fraud sentence under house arrest, went on trial Thursday in a new corruption case described as the biggest in her country's history.

Read more on Barron's

Tchiroma Bakary maintains he was the rightful winner of the poll and has accused the authorities of fraud, which they have denied.

Read more on BBC

“We’re also identifying shocking levels of incompetence and probable fraud in the Social Security program,” he told Congress and the American people during his nationally televised speech.

Read more on MarketWatch

There were "likely fraud and immigration offences" taking place, she said, and she would expect law enforcement to investigate.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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