swindle

[ swin-dl ]
/ ˈswɪn dl /

verb (used with object), swin·dled, swin·dling.

to cheat (a person, business, etc.) out of money or other assets.
to obtain by fraud or deceit.

verb (used without object), swin·dled, swin·dling.

to put forward plausible schemes or use unscrupulous trickery to defraud others; cheat.

noun

an act of swindling or a fraudulent transaction or scheme.
anything deceptive; a fraud: This advertisement is a real swindle.

Origin of swindle

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

OTHER WORDS FROM swindle

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

Example sentences from the Web for swindle

British Dictionary definitions for swindle

swindle
/ (ˈswɪndəl) /

verb

to cheat (someone) of money, etc; defraud
(tr) to obtain (money, etc) by fraud

noun

a fraudulent scheme or transaction

Derived forms of swindle

swindler, noun

Word Origin for swindle

C18: back formation from German Schwindler, from schwindeln, from Old High German swintilōn, frequentative of swintan to disappear