To trick or cheat someone or something in order to get money.
Tweet. : the crime of using dishonest methods to take something valuable from another person. : a person who pretends to be what he or she is not in order to trick people. : a copy of something that is meant to look like the real thing Synonym Discussion of DEFRAUD. cheat, cozen, defraud, swindle mean to get something by dishonesty or deception. cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation. cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose. : to trick or cheat someone or something in order to get money: to use fraud in order to get money from a person, an organization, etc. /dɪˈfrɑːd/. verb. defrauds; defrauded; defrauding. Learner's definition of DEFRAUD. : to trick or cheat someone or something in order to get money: to use fraud in order to get money from a person, an organization, etc. [+ object]. They were accused of trying to defraud the public. They conspired to defraud the government.
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define defrauded