as in scams
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value
identity theft has become one of the most frequent and feared swindles of our time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in cheats
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
hundreds of people were swindled out of their savings, and all they had to show for it were fake land deeds
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of swindles
Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025
Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions — collectively known as hoaxes.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
Noun
But cybersecurity experts believe many are coming from the same criminal organizations in Southeast Asia that have been linked to other high-profile swindles in recent years, like romance scams on dating apps.
—Shannon Pettypiece, NBC news, 20 Oct. 2025
Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions — collectively known as hoaxes.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
He gets chased by cops, swindles the wrong ping-pong goobers and becomes embroiled in a canine extortion scheme.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for swindles
Noun
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Names, email addresses, birth dates and purchase history can be used to create highly convincing scams.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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The report showed romance scams had the highest median dollar loss of all scam types at $6,099.—
Barbara White,
Kansas City Star,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Blashill wants the Blackhawks to be a fast-pressure team at both ends of the rink, one that attacks vertically but never cheats for offense.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The frauds have grown nearly in lockstep with the growth of the industry.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
11 Jan. 2026
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There is absolutely no evidence that frauds of this type or anywhere near this scale are happening in any of the other four states, or frankly that there is a large volume of as-yet-undiscovered fraud in Minnesota itself.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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The pair goes out and hustles other players with a cunning ruse that relies on the era’s racial and ethnic divisions.—
Jeff Ihaza,
Rolling Stone,
29 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Suddenly, Jeff Parker plucks a sighing six-note guitar run, dropping his shoulders into a solo section that carries the tune to its swooning conclusion.—
Dash Lewis,
Pitchfork,
20 Dec. 2025
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As Natalie walks away from Shayne, possibly for good, and as Venus and some entity named Gabby lunge for each other, Katie Maloney Schwartz Maloney plucks out her earbuds, pulls her sunglasses off her cunty little bob, closes her copy of The Shards, and packs up her bag.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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This example of the latter skillfully squeezes a comfortable home for two into a single shipping container.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Jan. 2026
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As the moon follows an elliptical path, Saturn’s gravity stretches and squeezes it.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Losing Sproat stings as a player the Mets drafted twice and developed into a big-league starter, but the right-hander out of the University of Florida is still unproven.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
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January 20 – February 18 When pride stings, compassion clears the air.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On the flip side, its tunnel-vision focus on the Murdaughs means that the non-Murdaugh, non-murder victims left in their wake, like Mallory and her family or the clients Alex defrauds at work, are reduced to symbols.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Swindles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/swindles. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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