Defraud means to get money, property, or another benefit from someone by using deceitdishonest behavior meant to make others believe something false or trickeryclever deception used to cheat or fool people. It is a formalused in serious or official situations, not casual speech word, often used in legal or financial contexts.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-19. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /dih-FRAWD/
Easy pronunciation: dih-FRAWD (approximate spelling).
Stress: Stress the second syllable: fraud.
Verb meaning to deprive someone of money or property by deceit.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-19. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Defraud Meaning
to cheat someone out of money or property by lying or tricking them
Part of speech: verb
Definition: deprive of by deceit
Example: She defrauded the customers who trusted her.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- con — Common informal verb for cheating someone through trickery.
- swindle — Very close everyday synonym meaning to cheat someone out of money or value.
- scam — Works as a verb for cheating someone in a dishonest scheme.
- diddle — Informal synonym meaning to cheat or trick someone.
- rook — Means to cheat or swindle someone, though it is less common.
- hornswoggle — Informal and colloquial; means to cheat or deceive.
- victimize — Can mean to make someone suffer by cheating or exploiting them.
- mulct — Formal or old-fashioned; means to extract money by deceit or to fleece someone.
- short-change — Used when someone is given less than they should get, literally or figuratively.
- bunco — Rare and dated; means to cheat by fraud or trickery.
- goldbrick — Can mean to cheat or shirk, but is less direct and less common here.
- nobble — British informal; can mean to cheat or swindle someone in some contexts.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-19. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Defraud Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- con
- swindle
- scam
- diddle
- rook
- hornswoggle
- victimize
- mulct
- short-change
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-19. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- People sometimes use defraud for any kind of dishonesty, but it specifically means cheating someone out of money, rights, or property.
- Do not confuse defraud with general lying; the word usually involves deliberate financial or legal deception.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-19. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does defraud mean?
Defraud means to cheat someone by deception, usually to take their money, property, or legal rights.
Is defraud the same as scam?
They overlap, but defraud is more formal and often used in legal or financial contexts, while scam is more informal.
What is a simple synonym for defraud?
Swindle is one of the closest simple synonyms.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-19. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.