bilk

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verb

ˈbilk

bilked; bilking; bilks

Synonyms of bilk next

transitive verb

: to block the free development of : frustrate

fate bilks their hopes

: to cheat out of something valuable : defraud

bilking investors out of their life savings

: to evade payment of or to

bilks his creditors

: to obtain (something) by defrauding someone

The Tampa couple sent out phony sonograms and bilked money from couples wanting children, authorities say.—

Brady Dennis

: to slip away from

bilked her pursuers

bilker noun

bilk

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noun

: an untrustworthy tricky individual : cheat

Did you know?

Initially, bilking wasn't considered cheating—just good strategy for cribbage players. Language historians aren't sure where bilk originated, but they have noticed that its earliest uses occur in contexts relating to the game of cribbage. Part of the scoring in cribbage involves each player adding cards from their hand to a pile of discards called the "crib." At the end of a hand, the dealer gets any points in the crib. Strategically, then, it's wisest for the dealer's opponents to discard the cards most likely to "balk," or put a check on, the dealer's score (or in other words, the ones least likely to contribute to point-making combinations). Etymologists theorize that bilk may have originated as an alteration of that card-game balk.

Examples of bilk in a Sentence

Verb an investigation revealed that the garage had been bilking motorists for repairs that had never been made Noun people who lost money in the scheme discovered that the investment company was a fake and the “owner” just a bilk

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Verb

Scammers have bilked victims worldwide out of a staggering $1.03 trillion in the last 12 months, according to a new report. —

Betty Lin-Fisher, USA TODAY, 7 Nov. 2024 Listen to this article The former CEO of Loretto Hospital has been charged in an embezzlement scheme that allegedly bilked millions of dollars from the small West Side safety-net hospital, even as the COVID-19 pandemic was raging. —

Talia Soglin, Chicago Tribune, 11 Oct. 2024

Noun

And, despite its super hinky backstory, a bronze behemoth of bilk is taking shape in Everett. —

Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2018 See all Example Sentences for bilk