Nearby Words

swindle

[swin-dl] Example Sentences

swin·dle

[swin-dl] verb, -dled, -dling, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to cheat (a person, business, etc.) out of money or other assets.
2.
to obtain by fraud or deceit.
verb (used without object)
3.
to put forward plausible schemes or use unscrupulous trickery to defraud others; cheat.

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Swindle is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.
noun
4.
an act of swindling or a fraudulent transaction or scheme.
5.
anything deceptive; a fraud: This advertisement is a real swindle.

Origin:
1775–85; back formation from swindler < German Schwindler irresponsible person, promoter of wildcat schemes, cheat, derivative of schwindeln to be dizzy (hence dizzy-minded, irresponsible), defraud, equivalent to schwind- (akin to Old English swindan to languish) + -(e)l- -le + -er -er1

swin·dle·a·ble, adjective
swin·dler, noun
swin·dling·ly, adverb
out·swin·dle, verb (used with object), -dled, -dling.


1. cozen, dupe, trick, gull.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To swindle
Example Sentences
  • Their duties range from checking that market traders do not swindle customers to tracking down brothels.
  • The corresponding swindle relating to economics takes place outside of economic theory proper.
  • And consider that government-backed standards in the credit card banking sector have already proved futile, one swindle at a time.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
swindle (ˈswɪndəl)
 
vb
1.  to cheat (someone) of money, etc; defraud
2.  (tr) to obtain (money, etc) by fraud
 
n
3.  a fraudulent scheme or transaction
 
[C18: back formation from German Schwindler, from schwindeln, from Old High German swintilōn, frequentative of swintan to disappear]
 
'swindler
 
n

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