swindle

1 of 2

verb

swin·​dle ˈswin-dᵊl 

swindled; swindling ˈswin-dᵊl-iŋ 

ˈswin(d)-liŋ

intransitive verb

: to obtain money or property by fraud or deceit

transitive verb

: to take money or property from by fraud or deceit

swindler

ˈswin-dᵊl-ər 

ˈswin(d)-lər

noun

swindle

2 of 2

noun

: an act or instance of swindling : fraud

Synonyms

Verb

• beat
• bilk
• bleed
• cheat
• chisel
• chouse
• con
• cozen
• defraud
• diddle
• do
• do in
• euchre
• fiddle
• fleece
• flimflam
• gaff
• hose [slang]
• hustle
• mulct
• nobble [British slang]
• pluck
• ream
• rip off
• rook
• screw
• shake down
• short
• shortchange
• skin
• skunk
• squeeze
• stick
• stiff
• sting
• sucker
• thimblerig
• victimize

Noun

• bunco
• bunko
• con
• fiddle [chiefly British]
• flimflam
• fraud
• hustle
• scam
• shell game
• sting

Choose the Right Synonym for swindle

cheat, cozen, defraud, swindle mean to get something by dishonesty or deception.

cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose.

always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

defraud stresses depriving one of his or her rights and usually connotes deliberate perversion of the truth.

defrauded of her inheritance by an unscrupulous lawyer

swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

Examples of swindle in a Sentence

Verb

hundreds of people were swindled out of their savings, and all they had to show for it were fake land deeds

Noun

a swindle that involved selling a lot of land that really didn't exist

identity theft has become one of the most frequent and feared swindles of our time

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Washington’s tactical performance of Macrinus aims to swindle Paul Mescal as Maximus’s son and potential heir, Lucius Verus. —Malik Peay, Essence, 3 Dec. 2024

At one point, Layla gets swindled into coughing up $800 for a fake ticket, which seems like…a bit much? —Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 27 Nov. 2024

Noun

In Freeform's brand new series, Scam Goddess, based on her book and podcast of the same name, the comedian is taking her sense for swindles on the road. —Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024

The videos are being used in investment scams, such as romance swindles, and in other ways. —Russ Wiles, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from swindler, from German Schwindler giddy person, from schwindeln to be dizzy, from Old High German swintilōn, frequentative of swintan to diminish, vanish; akin to Old English swindan to vanish

First Known Use

Verb

1773, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

1778, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

swindle

1 of 2 verb

swin·​dle ˈswin-dᵊl 

swindled; swindling -(d)liŋ 

-dᵊl-iŋ

: to get money or property from by dishonest means : cheat

swindler

-(d)lər 

-dᵊl-ər

noun

swindle

2 of 2 noun

: an act or instance of swindling : fraud