Thesaurus results for SWINDLED

swindled

verb

past tense of swindle

as in cheated

to rob by the use of trickery or threats hundreds of people were swindled out of their savings, and all they had to show for it were fake land deeds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 swindled Other gamblers just don’t want to get swindled, so anything that smacks too clearly of insider trading can get you in trouble. — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026 While the men whom Chen allegedly swindled began to grow suspicious of her actions around 2024, the Clark County Marriage Bureau reported her to the police, resulting in the launch of an investigation around the same time. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 16 June 2026 Aller swindled deal after deal on 2022 draft night, garnering future draft picks and getting off enough salary to sign Brunson and more. — Fred Katz, New York Times, 26 May 2026 After over a decade of partnership, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is suing OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for more than $130 billion, alleging that Altman and OpenAI cofounder Greg Brockman swindled him and betrayed the company’s founding charitable mission. — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2026 Holder was one of thousands of Americans swindled out of a total estimated at $20 billion by way of cyber theft in 2025, according to the FBI. — Anna Schecter, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026 The seizures were the result of an investigation launched after Andress reported to Swiss authorities that she had been swindled out of assets by financial advisers. — ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026 But according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Santa Barbara, Ireland and her husband have been swindled out of their home equity and their life insurance policies, forced to sell their home, and left without substantial savings. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026 Robin Williams was swindled a few times. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 28 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for swindled

Verb

The rest of us just got the surface, but who could feel cheated?

— Kathryn Schulz, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
Child safety advocates and some parents have welcomed age restrictions, while privacy groups say the rules can be cheated and that forcing users to supply identification raises privacy concerns.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheated

Verb

Two of the men quickly hopped up and hustled down the sidewalk, while the third sat for a second before replacing the manhole cover, and walked away, the video shows.

— John Annese, New York Daily News, 24 Aug. 2026
Hate crime charges have been filed against a man who disrupted Shabbat services in Manhattan's Central Synagogue and struck two people while being hustled outside Friday night.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of hustled

Verb

Woodard went undrafted out of UNLV in 2025, and the Dolphins plucked him off the Texans’ practice squad in mid-December.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
If the Panthers didn’t want him, in other words, he’d probably be plucked off the waiver wire by someone else.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of plucked

Verb

Several clubs have been stung by excessive ventures into external markets in recent years, most notably Tottenham in Italy and Manchester United’s mistakes in the Dutch league under Erik ten Hag.

— Adam Crafton, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Spray the nest from a distance to reduce the chances of being stung.

— Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of stung

Verb

Breakfast is at Fritz & Felix, lunch is squeezed into the Wintergarten conservatory, and dinner is either ordered to my room or eaten dressed up in the restaurants.

— Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2026
Consumers show signs of strain Recent data indicate that some consumers' budgets are being squeezed.

— Lorie Konish, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of squeezed

Verb

The hardest physical part was actually taking down the old blinds, which had been screwed tightly into the window frame years prior.

— Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
But the war needs to end because every day that the war continues, America gets weaker, Iran gets stronger, and people here in the United States get screwed, as prices go up, and up and up.

— NBC news, NBC news, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of screwed

Verb

Two men, one of whom posed as a player for the San Francisco 49ers, have been arrested and charged in a scheme that allegedly defrauded more than two dozen women out of more than $1 million, federal authorities said.

— Tim Fang, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026
Operation Riptide was launched in June to combat cybercrime, which defrauded Americans out of more than $20 billion last year, according to the FBI.

— Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of defrauded

Browse Nearby Words

swindle

swindled

swindler

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation

Synonyms of swindled

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

dissonant

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes