defraud
verb (used with object)
to deprive of a right, money, or property by fraud.
had been defrauding
-
past perfect progressiveof defraud.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Then, in 2015, bad news came: Nash, then living in Los Angeles, discovered that her manager had been defrauding her.
From New York Times ● Oct. 13, 2022
The message was to some government official in Florida, and related to a certain smuggler who had been defrauding the government by sending shipments of tobacco without paying the duty thereon.
From The Hilltop Boys on Lost Island by Cyril Burleigh
When the steamship line ran into financial trouble, many were convinced that Garvey had been defrauding the ignorant masses.
From The Black Experience in America by Norman Coombs
