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Synonyms
deception, fraud, double-dealing, subterfuge, trickery mean the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives.
deception may or may not imply blameworthiness, since it may suggest cheating or merely tactical resource.
fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice.
double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude.
subterfuge suggests the adoption of a stratagem or the telling of a lie in order to escape guilt or to gain an end.
trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat.
imposture, fraud, sham, fake, humbug, counterfeit mean a thing made to seem other than it is.
imposture applies to any situation in which a spurious object or performance is passed off as genuine.
fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.
sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.
fake implies an imitation of or substitution for the genuine but does not necessarily imply dishonesty.
humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.
counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.
Examples of fraud in a Sentence
Word History
Middle English fraude, from Anglo-French, from Latin fraud-, fraus
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing fraud
Dictionary Entries Near fraud
Cite this Entry
“Fraud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fraud. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
Legal Definition
fraud
nounNote: A tort action based on fraud is also referred to as an action of deceit.
called also fraud in fact
compare constructive fraud in this entrycalled also legal fraud
compare actual fraud in this entrycalled also collateral fraud
compare intrinsic fraud in this entrycalled also fraud in the execution
compare fraud in the inducement in this entryLatin fraud-, fraus
More from Merriam-Webster on fraud
Nglish: Translation of fraud for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of fraud for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fraud
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