bilk
1 of 2verb
ˈbilk 
bilked; bilking; bilks
transitive verb
1
: to block the free development of : frustrate
fate bilks their hopes
2
a
: to cheat out of something valuable : defraud
bilking investors out of their life savings
b
: to evade payment of or to
bilks his creditors
c
: to obtain (something) by defrauding someone
The Tampa couple sent out phony sonograms and bilked money from couples wanting children, authorities say.
Brady Dennis
Brady Dennis3
: to slip away from
bilked her pursuers
bilker noun
bilk
2 of 2noun
: an untrustworthy tricky individual : cheat
Did you know?
Initially, "bilking" wasn't considered cheating-just good strategy for cribbage players. Language historians aren't sure where "bilk" originated, but they have noticed that its earliest uses occur in contexts referring to cribbage. Part of the scoring in cribbage involves each player adding cards from his or her hand to a pile of discards called the "crib." At the end of a hand, the dealer gets any points in the crib. Strategically, then, it's wisest for the dealer's opponent to discard non-scoring cards-the ones most likely to "balk," or put a check on, the dealer's score. Etymologists theorize that "bilk" may have originated as an alteration of that card-game "balk."
Synonyms
Verb
- beat
- bleed
- cheat
- chisel
- chouse
- con
- cozen
- defraud
- diddle
- do
- do in
- euchre
- fiddle
- fleece
- flimflam
- gaff
- hose [slang]
- hustle
- mulct
- nobble [British slang]
- pluck
- ream
- rip off
- rook
- screw
- shake down
- short
- shortchange
- skin
- skunk
- squeeze
- stick
- stiff
- sting
- sucker
- swindle
- thimblerig
- victimize
Noun
- bilker
- cheat
- cheater
- chiseler
- chiseller
- confidence man
- cozener
- defrauder
- dodger
- fakir
- finagler
- fraudster [chiefly British]
- hoaxer
- scammer
- scamster
- shark
- sharper
- sharpie
- sharpy
- skinner
- swindler
- tricker
- trickster
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb an investigation revealed that the garage had been bilking motorists for repairs that had never been made Noun people who lost money in the scheme discovered that the investment company was a fake and the “owner” just a bilk
Recent Examples on the Web BostonGlobe.com, 29 Aug. 2022 After hooking her mother, Sabine and her accomplices allegedly spent months maintaining the con to bilk the elderly woman out of money, jewelry and artwork. Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2022 At the same time, scammers are getting more sophisticated and shifting their attention to robo-texts, which have exploded in popularity as a way to bilk unsuspected people. Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 22 July 2022 How did an international scheme based in London to bilk old people out of cash through booze get brought down because of someone in Highland Heights? Laura Johnston, cleveland, 16 June 2022 The committee, which has in its possession hundreds of thousands of documents, revealed that Trump monetized the false claim that he was cheated out of a win during the last presidential election, using it in turn to bilk his supporters. Frida Ghitis, CNN, 15 June 2022 How a member of a breakaway Mormon sect teamed up with a Lambo-driving, hard-partying tycoon to bilk the government for hundreds of millions of dollars. Mark Robinson, Wired, 22 Dec. 2021 Her boss, Jason Sugarman, is facing SEC charges for his alleged role in a scheme to bilk $43 million in client funds intended for Native American tribal bonds. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2021 Along with paying kickbacks to other physicians, including for an expensive Naloxone auto-injector, Abdalla and the other pharmacists took out fake prescriptions in various names to bilk insurance companies, according to court documents. Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2021 Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2018 See More
Verb
Authorities in central China on Monday announced the arrests of 234 people involved in a scam to bilk people out of their savings with the false promise of high interest rates on deposits in obscure rural banks. BostonGlobe.com, 29 Aug. 2022 After hooking her mother, Sabine and her accomplices allegedly spent months maintaining the con to bilk the elderly woman out of money, jewelry and artwork. Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2022 At the same time, scammers are getting more sophisticated and shifting their attention to robo-texts, which have exploded in popularity as a way to bilk unsuspected people. Irina Ivanova, CBS News, 22 July 2022 How did an international scheme based in London to bilk old people out of cash through booze get brought down because of someone in Highland Heights? Laura Johnston, cleveland, 16 June 2022 The committee, which has in its possession hundreds of thousands of documents, revealed that Trump monetized the false claim that he was cheated out of a win during the last presidential election, using it in turn to bilk his supporters. Frida Ghitis, CNN, 15 June 2022 How a member of a breakaway Mormon sect teamed up with a Lambo-driving, hard-partying tycoon to bilk the government for hundreds of millions of dollars. Mark Robinson, Wired, 22 Dec. 2021 Her boss, Jason Sugarman, is facing SEC charges for his alleged role in a scheme to bilk $43 million in client funds intended for Native American tribal bonds. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2021 Along with paying kickbacks to other physicians, including for an expensive Naloxone auto-injector, Abdalla and the other pharmacists took out fake prescriptions in various names to bilk insurance companies, according to court documents. Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2021 Noun
And, despite its super hinky backstory, a bronze behemoth of bilk is taking shape in Everett. Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, 17 May 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
perhaps alteration of balk entry 1
First Known Use
Verb
1641, in the meaning defined at sense 3
Noun
1777, in the meaning defined above
bilks 1 of 2
noun
as in cheats
a dishonest person who uses clever means to cheat others out of something of value people who lost money in the scheme discovered that the investment company was a fake and the "owner" just a bilk Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- cheats
- dodgers
- defrauders
- swindlers
- sharks
- chiselers
- scammers
- bilkers
- sharpers
- fraudsters
- scamsters
- phonies
- skinners
- cheaters
- fakirs
- ringers
- tricksters
- cozeners
- sharpies
- chisellers
- hoaxers
- trickers
- confidence men
- fox
- adventurers
- quacks
- finaglers
- fakes
- charlatans
- sneaks
- foxes
- humbugs
- pretenders
- phoneys
- mountebanks
- impostors
- fakers
- shams
- sneakers
- knaves
- imposters
- schemers
- double-crossers
- rogues
- slicksters
- rascals
- bluffers
- blacklegs
- quacksalvers
- pranksters
- slickers
- slyboots
- plotters
- wheeler-dealers
- gamesmen
- cardsharps
- double-dealers
- cardsharpers
- slicks
- smoothies
- fast-talkers
bilks
2 of 2verb
as in plucks
to rob by the use of trickery or threats an investigation revealed that the garage had been bilking motorists for repairs that had never been made Synonyms & Similar Words
- cheats
- plucks
- squeezes
- hustles
- stings
- defrauds
- swindles
- beats
- screws
- does
- deceives
- sticks
- victimizes
- suckers
- mulcts
- shortchanges
- bleeds
- stiffs
- fleeces
- reams
- fiddles
- tricks
- cons
- flimflams
- rips off
- cozens
- exploits
- chisels
- rooks
- diddles
- skins
- extorts
- fools
- betrays
- skunks
- shorts
- gaffs
- chouses
- hoses
- nobbles
- euchres
- shakes down
- thimblerigs
- takes to the cleaners
- does in
- wrenches
- overcharges
- sells a bill of goods to
- takes for a ride
- milks
- dupes
- gouges
- wrings
- soaks
- wrests
- clips
- gulls
- nicks
- bitches
- bamboozles
- double-crosses
- ropes (in)
- fast-talks