COZEN Synonyms: 110 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'cozen' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cozen are cheat , defraud , and swindle . While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose. // always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

Q: Where would 'cheat' be a reasonable alternative to 'cozen'?

The words cheat and cozen can be used in similar contexts, but cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation. // cheated me out of a dollar

Q: When would 'defraud' be a good substitute for 'cozen'?

In some situations, the words defraud and cozen are roughly equivalent. However, defraud stresses depriving one of his or her rights and usually connotes deliberate perversion of the truth. // defrauded of her inheritance by an unscrupulous lawyer

Q: When can 'swindle' be used instead of 'cozen'?

While in some cases nearly identical to cozen , swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence. // swindled of their savings by con artists

cozen

verb

ˈkə-zən

Definition of cozen

as in to deceive

to cause to believe what is untrue cozened several elderly ladies into believing that he was intending marriage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to cheat

to rob by the use of trickery or threats cozened scores of people by persuading them to hand over funds that he would "invest"

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the verb cozen contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of cozen are cheat, defraud, and swindle. While all these words mean "to get something by dishonesty or deception," cozen implies artful persuading or flattering to attain a thing or a purpose.

always able to cozen her grandfather out of a few dollars

Where would cheat be a reasonable alternative to cozen?

The words cheat and cozen can be used in similar contexts, but cheat suggests using trickery that escapes observation.

cheated me out of a dollar

When would defraud be a good substitute for cozen?

In some situations, the words defraud and cozen are roughly equivalent. However, defraud stresses depriving one of his or her rights and usually connotes deliberate perversion of the truth.

defrauded of her inheritance by an unscrupulous lawyer

When can swindle be used instead of cozen?

While in some cases nearly identical to cozen, swindle implies large-scale cheating by misrepresentation or abuse of confidence.

swindled of their savings by con artists

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of cozen The point, however, is not to entertain the driver/employee but to cozen the owner. — Dan Neil, WSJ, 19 Dec. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cozen

Verb

Your eyes aren't deceiving you — the little delivery robots rolling down Washington DC streets are becoming a more common sight.

— Mike Stunson, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026
Jury Duty has managed to deceive two unsuspecting do-gooders with civic duty and a company retreat.

— Peter White, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of deceive

Verb

Written and rendered by dudes who longed for unlimited success, these are songs about cheating and being cheated on and trying but failing to be content, or love as lived amid capitalist indulgence.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 30 Aug. 2026
Cheaters gonna cheat The first step was creating a message board that allowed the agents to pass notes to each other.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheat

Verb

Sebastian Galeano fools the Lake Mary defense by carrying it himself and scampers 40 yards for the touchdown.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Roughly 700 agents ultimately participated in attacks on Hugging Face as part of a broader effort to fool the scorer for a cybersecurity benchmark.

— Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of fool

Verb

In many cases, the robot tail wags the living dog by tricking it—tricking us—into caring about obscure metrics, then gamifying the process of improving them.

— Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026
Children were taken by tricking mothers, who were told their baby had died during childbirth.

— Ashoka, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of trick

Verb

As a young Black woman, the betrayal stung as much as a rejection by any guy.

— Sarah Jones, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2026
The bugs, particularly ticks, ants, mosquitoes and stinging insects, are going to take full advantage thanks to warmer temperatures, according to the National Pest Management Associations (NPMA)'s biannual Bug Barometer®.

— Alora Bopray, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of sting

Verb

These portable, lightweight bands squeeze easily into a suitcase and can be used to add resistance to body weight exercises.

— Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 26 Aug. 2026
Job seekers in South Florida are navigating a tricky mix of stubborn inflation, high interest rates and an AI shift that’s squeezing entry-level hiring.

— Jessica Lipscomb, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of squeeze

Verb

Jake Mangum singled to left but rookie Joshua Baez misplayed it and then didn’t hustle after it.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
Officers hustled the residents, including the children, out of the home, while Walsh and the second officer found the suspect hiding in a bathroom.

— Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of hustle

Browse Nearby Words

coyotes

cozen

cozenage

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“Cozen.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cozen. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of cozen

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