Brady Dennis
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
Amber Gaudet, Charlotte Observer, 14 May 2026
Murdaugh, 57, will remain in prison, however, after being sentenced on dozens of state and federal charges for bilking millions from his former law firm and clients for more than a decade.
—Pilar Melendez, NBC news, 14 May 2026
Vivek Krishnamurthy, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
Federal prosecutors say Davis would go on to don disguises — a wig once, and a do-rag-style head covering another time — again in March and July to impersonate two other NFL players on video calls and bilk millions more in loans.
—ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bilk
Cite this Entry
“Bilk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bilk. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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