1
as in deceiving
to cause to believe what is untrue
cozened several elderly ladies into believing that he was intending marriage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in cheating
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
cozened scores of people by persuading them to hand over funds that he would "invest"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cozening
Verb
-
Your eyes aren't deceiving you.—
Jessica Farthing,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2026 -
The final score is a bit deceiving, as Pittsburgh led by 18 before the Cowboys rallied near the end.—
Greg Rajan,
Houston Chronicle,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
He has not been formally charged with cheating by World Curling, which does not use video to review game play.—
STEVE DOUGLAS,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Canada's curling team has fired back at Sweden after the Swedes accused the Canadians of cheating at the Winter Olympics.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Prompt injection is a method of tricking LLMs into doing things they are normally prevented from doing.—
Bruce Schneier,
IEEE Spectrum,
21 Jan. 2026
-
While cold can damage plants, weather that’s too warm too soon can also have a negative effect on bulbs by tricking them into sprouting early.—
Andrea Beck,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
According to its website, Butcher & Singer is an homage to the glitz and class of 1940s Hollywood, reaching into the past, plucking the best and brightest aspects of a bygone era.—
Courtney Cherry,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
-
The Bills scooped up a second Broncos assistant in as many days, plucking Jim Leonhard to lead Joe Brady’s defense.—
Torrey Hart,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Indeed, depth would only get in the way of the plot, which is primarily concerned with fooling you and fooling you again.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Watching Bedard break ankles on a nightly basis like Allen Iverson on skates, attempting one-man rushes most players couldn’t even fathom, fooling elite goaltenders with his patented drag-and-drive release, is exhilarating.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Seattle fans are hoping to erase the stinging memory of Super Bowl 49 – when the Seahawks famously decided not to run from the 1-yard line and saw Malcolm Butler intercept Russell Wilson to seal a 28-24 Patriots win.—
Jacob Camenker,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Senior lawmaker Angela Rayner, a popular figure on the left of the party, is still stinging after being forced to resign as deputy prime minister in September for failing to pay enough tax on a home purchase.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The solar sector has been grappling with a prolonged price slump and oversupply, squeezing margins even as leading producers continue to add capacity.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
4 Feb. 2026
-
For generations, Americans who wanted orange juice without the work of squeezing fresh fruit cracked open a can and watched a cylinder of frozen juice go ker-plunk into a pitcher.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
If out of work, hustling this week and next could open doors.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Students were hustling around campus, coming and going on the penultimate Saturday of the semester.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
15 Dec. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Cozening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cozening. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
