Thesaurus results for DEFRAUDED

defrauded

verb

past tense of defraud

as in cheated

to rob by the use of trickery or threats senior citizens generally were too smart to fall for the fast-talking salesman's attempts to defraud them

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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.

Recent Examples of defrauded The Clippers continued to put the onus of guilt onto Joe Sanberg, the co-founder of Aspiration who has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his role in a long-term scheme that defrauded lenders and investors of more than $248 million. — Law Murray, New York Times, 9 July 2026 According to court records, between July 2024 and August 2025, the brothers and unnamed co-conspirators orchestrated an identity theft ring that defrauded SNAP programs in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and other states. — Joe Marusak july 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2026 The charge alleges a person knowingly defrauded another by using false or misleading information to obtain money, property, credit or a loan. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026 Federal authorities on Tuesday charged 10 Southern California defendants in a series of healthcare fraud schemes, including one case involving nearly $270 million in fraudulent Medi-Cal claims and another that allegedly defrauded Medicare out of approximately $27 million. — Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2026 No one was forced, no one was defrauded, and the price paid is their business and their risk to bear. — Douglas P. McCormick, Fortune, 23 June 2026 Among them was the founder of a major pyramid scheme that defrauded thousands of Colombians of their savings, as well as Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman with close ties to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was later extradited to the United States on money-laundering charges. — John Otis, NPR, 21 June 2026 Twice Basilio Aguirre built and lost a fortune, defrauded by business partners one time, the victim of Mexico’s economy the other. — Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 10 June 2026 Demiana Khoury, Tran’s defense attorney, and Progressive Insurance Co,, which was named as the company that had been defrauded, did not respond to requests for comment. — Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 10 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defrauded

Verb

However, the models essentially cheated by attempting to access the open internet, thereby bypassing the isolated test environment.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 21 July 2026
In 2014, Russia was proven to have cheated in the Sochi Olympic Games.

— Katie Uhlaender OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of cheated

Verb

The clip, plucked out of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, spread like wildfire through the digital landscape.

— Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
His presentation for the pavilion consisted of a single work by the artist and former Olympic sailor Charles Lim Yi Yong, a twenty-foot-tall buoy that the artist plucked from the Singapore sea.

— News Desk, Artforum, 24 July 2026

Definition of plucked

Verb

With one hour to collect their gear and pack the school bus taking them to Miami Gardens, the kids hustled to get ready to make their World Cup debut.

— Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 11 July 2026
Angela George The program's pacing and energy feel hustled this evening as organizers try to make up for two hours lost because of storms earlier in the day.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Definition of hustled

Verb

Tournament football isn’t generally conducive to pressing, with so many matches squeezed into such a short window, and without the cohesion that comes from club sides training together for months.

— Michael Cox, New York Times, 22 July 2026
My problem is the kart path along the road has 3 or so feet of grass between it and the road, then suddenly the grass narrows and is eventually gone before going over the bridge and everything is squeezed together.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of squeezed

Verb

Is this guy just saying we were screwed before, and we're still screwed now, just with more velocity?

— RJ Friedman, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Thus, the outright majority of American voters, the Independents, get royally screwed again in favor of folks who represent about a quarter of Americans, thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision.

— Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026

Definition of screwed

Verb

While the men whom Chen allegedly swindled began to grow suspicious of her actions around 2024, the Clark County Marriage Bureau reported her to the police, resulting in the launch of an investigation around the same time.

— Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026
Aller swindled deal after deal on 2022 draft night, garnering future draft picks and getting off enough salary to sign Brunson and more.

— Fred Katz, New York Times, 26 May 2026

Definition of swindled

Verb

Mora filed a cross-complaint against Giumarra alleging he was deceived by the company and its representatives into signing a contract that made false claims about the fruit, including that it was patented by Giumarra.

— Robert Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026
In an era when AI generates convincing falsehoods at scale and a third of teenagers report being deceived by fake content online, the ability to weigh evidence critically is not an academic exercise but a plain necessity.

— Rajiv Vinnakota, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of deceived

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defrauded

defrauder

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“Defrauded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defrauded. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of defrauded

verb

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