as in cheated
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
an investigation revealed that the garage had been bilking motorists for repairs that had never been made
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Recent Examples of bilked
Meanwhile, California continued blowing money on a high-speed rail project that is years behind schedule and billions over budget, was bilked for billions in fraud, and funded an anti-homelessness bureaucracy with no accountability, among other things.
—
Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
We, too, are horrified by the betrayal of America’s social safety-net systems perpetrated by dozens of individuals in Minnesota who bilked at least $1 billion from taxpayers for non-existent services and clients.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
In one scheme, prosecutors say dozens of scammers bilked more than $250 million from a federal program meant to feed hungry children in what has been described as the largest pandemic-era fraud scheme in the country.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
That's primarily a reference to online scams perpetrated by organized crime that have bilked victims around the world of billions of dollars each year.
—CBS News, 27 Dec. 2025
Prosecutors say criminals also bilked millions of dollars from Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services program — which pays for help finding and keeping housing — as well as the state’s autism-services program by billing for appointments, therapy and casework that never took place.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 2025
Matt Fleming, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
We, too, are horrified by the betrayal of America’s social safety-net systems perpetrated by dozens of individuals in Minnesota who bilked at least $1 billion from taxpayers for non-existent services and clients.
—The Denver Post Editorial Board, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
In one scheme, prosecutors say dozens of scammers bilked more than $250 million from a federal program meant to feed hungry children in what has been described as the largest pandemic-era fraud scheme in the country.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 9 Jan. 2026
That's primarily a reference to online scams perpetrated by organized crime that have bilked victims around the world of billions of dollars each year.
—CBS News, 27 Dec. 2025
Prosecutors say criminals also bilked millions of dollars from Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services program — which pays for help finding and keeping housing — as well as the state’s autism-services program by billing for appointments, therapy and casework that never took place.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 7 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bilked
Verb
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McMann hunted, but never cheated, for offence.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
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Experts say such scam operations in Cambodia and elsewhere have cheated people around the world out of billions of dollars and tricked people from many countries to work in them under slave-like conditions.—
Sakchai Lalit,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Over at Azur on Luminara, the menu reinvents itself every two days to mirror the port of call, like someone plucked the best taverna dishes off the coast and casually plated them in front of you.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
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This is ideal for decades of sliding across the ice, because bigger mineral grains are more likely to get plucked out by the ice, leaving holes in the surface that could cause unpredictable behavior.—
Andrea Thompson,
Scientific American,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His attacker, the man in black, was hustled off the stage.—
Anderson Cooper,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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As the lights came up, Taylor had already been hustled out, as had Arnaud.—
Eve Batey,
Vanity Fair,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The loss certainly stung for Maye.—
Greg Dudek,
Hartford Courant,
9 Feb. 2026
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One pocket of tech that has faced a lot of pressure have been software firms, with the shares of companies like SAP, Salesforce, and ServiceNow all stung the last six months, as Reuters reports, because of rising fears that AI could disrupt their business models.—
John Kell,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In an ecosystem squeezed by the brutal economics of streaming and the continuing struggles of the theatrical model, far too many worthy films go unsold and unseen.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Tens of billions of dollars in corporate loans are likely to default over the next year as companies, especially software and data services firms owned by private equity, get squeezed by the AI threat, Mish said in a Wednesday research note.—
Hugh Son,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Tanyika Rickard, a community manager with Chase Bank in Philadelphia, who works directly with customers who have been targeted or defrauded, said scammers often spend months building trust before ever bringing up money.—
Joshua Sidorowicz,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Jacobus also defrauded members of his own family.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Was Tony Kiritsis really screwed out of a legitimate business deal?—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
5 Feb. 2026
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Basically, our government helped the rich get richer while working families got screwed.—
Ana María Archila,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The investors' attorneys said about $46 million of the money the pair swindled from their investors went to pay for expensive cars.—
Steffanie Dupree,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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John Tamahere McCabe, 42, swindled the money by falsely promising to sell the 79-year-old victim’s yacht for him and by taking out unauthorized loans against his Irvine condominium.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bilked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bilked. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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