Definition of SWINDLE

swindle

Plural: swindles

Noun

  • the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme
  • An instance of swindling.
  • Anything that is deceptively not what it appears to be.
  • An instance wherein a player in a losing position plays a clever move that provokes an error from the opponent, thus achieving a win or a draw.

Verb

Verb Forms: swindled, swindling, swindles

  • To take money or property from by fraudulent means.
  • deprive of by deceit
    • "He swindled me out of my inheritance"
  • To defraud.
  • To obtain (money or property) by fraudulent or deceitful methods.
  • For a player in a losing position to play a clever move that provokes an error from the opponent, thus achieving a win or a draw.

Examples

  • He tried to swindle his opponent into thinking a fake word was valid in Scrabble.
  • She swindled more than £200 out of me.
  • The two men swindled the company out of $160,000.

Origin / Etymology

Back-formation from swindler, from German Schwindler, from German schwindeln, from Middle High German swindeln, swindelen, from Old High German swintilōn, frequentative of the verb swintan, from Proto-West Germanic *swindan (“to diminish”).
See also Modern German schwindeln, Danish svindel and svindle, Dutch zwindelen and zwendelen, Yiddish שווינדל (shvindl), Low German swinneln, Middle English swinden (“to languish, waste away”).

Synonyms

bunco, cheat, con, defraud, diddle, gip, goldbrick, gyp, hornswoggle, mulct, nobble, rig, rook, scam, short-change, victimize, be sold a pup, scheme, swizz

Scrabble Score: 11

swindle: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
swindle: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
swindle: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

swindle: valid Words With Friends Word