DEFRAUD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does defraud mean? 

• DEFRAUD (verb)
  The verb DEFRAUD has 1 sense:

1. deprive of by deceit

  Familiarity information: DEFRAUD used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DEFRAUD (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they defraud    ... he / she / it defrauds   
Past simple: defrauded   
Past participle: defrauded   
-ing form: defrauding   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Deprive of by deceit

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

bunco; con; defraud; diddle; goldbrick; hornswoggle; mulct; nobble; rook; scam; short-change; swindle; victimize

Context example:

She defrauded the customers who trusted her

Hypernyms (to "defraud" is one way to...):

cheat; chisel; rip off (deprive somebody of something by deceit)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "defraud"):

short; short-change (cheat someone by not returning him enough money)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Somebody ----s somebody PP

Sentence example:

They defraud him of all his money

Derivation:

defrauder (a person who swindles you by means of deception or fraud)

 Context examples 

This girl, he continued, looking at me, knew no more than you, Wood, of the disgusting secret: she thought all was fair and legal and never dreamt she was going to be entrapped into a feigned union with a defrauded wretch, already bound to a bad, mad, and embruted partner!

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Mrs. Norris felt herself defrauded of an office on which she had always depended, whether his arrival or his death were to be the thing unfolded; and was now trying to be in a bustle without having anything to bustle about, and labouring to be important where nothing was wanted but tranquillity and silence.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Bereft of his cake, defrauded of his frolic, and borne away by a strong hand to that detested bed, poor Demi could not restrain his wrath, but openly defied Papa, and kicked and screamed lustily all the way upstairs.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)