swindle

American  

[swin-dl] / ˈswɪn dl /

verb (used with object)

swindled, swindling

1. to cheat (a person, business, etc.) out of money or other assets.

   Synonyms:

   bamboozle, deceive, trick, dupe, cozen

2. to obtain by fraud or deceit.

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verb (used without object)

swindled, swindling

1. to put forward plausible schemes or use unscrupulous trickery to defraud others; cheat.

noun

1. an act of swindling or a fraudulent transaction or scheme.

2. anything deceptive; a fraud.

   This advertisement is a real swindle.

swindle British  

/ ˈswɪndəl /

verb

1. to cheat (someone) of money, etc; defraud

2. (tr) to obtain (money, etc) by fraud

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noun

1. a fraudulent scheme or transaction

Other Word Forms

• outswindle verb (used with object)
• swindleable adjective
• swindler noun
• swindlingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of swindle

First recorded in 1775–85; back formation from swindler ( def. )

Explanation

To swindle is to cheat or steal. You can swindle money, goods, ideas, and anything else that can be stolen, but be careful, because someone can also swindle you. In the late 1700s, the verb swindle formed from swindler, which means “giddy person, cheat.” Swindle can be a noun or a verb. When you get something by less than honest means, that’s a swindle. A successful act of swindle often involves some scheme or rigging of the system. Hollywood loves a good swindle — think of all the movies that show a bank robbery or people lying about who they are. Another funny word for swindle is bamboozle.

Example Sentences

From her minimum security lockup, she’s begun mounting her own social media blitz in an apparent attempt to win Trump’s favor and get sprung from prison and freed from accountability for her epic swindle.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 7, 2025

And while they concede that seniors may be more frequently targeted online than those younger, that, too, is based on a false assumption—that their age will make them easier to swindle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

This is just one of the many ways in which these compounds swindle billions of dollars around the world.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2025

That fuelled speculation in Zambian media that some of the suspects might have sought to swindle gold buyers in a fake bullion scam.

From Reuters • Aug. 30, 2023

A few of the spectators nudged each other with their elbows, obviously hoping I’d somehow swindle Ambrose into paying several times what my slot was actually worth.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Related Words

• bilk
• con
• deceive
• defraud
• dupe
• extort
• fleece
• gouge
• hoodwink
• overcharge
• victimize