Word of the Day: Swindle

swin·dle

verb \ˈswin-d^əl\

: to take money or property from (someone) by using lies or tricks

swin·dled   swin·dling

Full Definition of SWINDLE

intransitive verb

:  to obtain money or property by fraud or deceit

transitive verb

:  to take money or property from by fraud or deceit

— swin·dler noun

Examples of SWINDLE

1. <hundreds of people were swindled out of their savings, and all they had to show for it were fake land deeds>

Origin of SWINDLE

back-formation from swindler, from German Schwindler giddy person, from schwindeln to be dizzy, from Old High German swintilōn, frequentative of swintan to diminish, vanish; akin to Old English swindan to vanish

First Known Use: circa 1782

Related to SWINDLE

Synonyms

beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, flimflam, gaff, gyp, hose [slang], hustle, mulct, nobble [British slang], pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, fleece, thimblerig, victimize

Second definition +