Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To take something from by fraud; swindle.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To deprive of right, either by procuring something by deception or artifice, or by appropriating something wrongfully through breach of trust, or by withholding from another by indirection or device that which he has a right to claim or obtain; cheat; cozen: followed by of before the thing taken.
  • To defeat or frustrate wrongfully.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To deprive of some right, interest, or property, by a deceitful device; to withhold from wrongfully; to injure by embezzlement; to cheat; to overreach; ; -- with of before the thing taken or withheld.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To obtain money or property by fraud; to swindle

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb deprive of by deceit

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English defrauden, from Old French defrauder, from Latin dēfraudāre : dē-, de- + fraudāre, to cheat (from fraus, fraud-, fraud).]

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Examples

  • When used in such a manner the term defraud has a legal rather than a dictionary meaning, and the legal interpretation of fraud or defraud is applied to those acts which seek to obtain that which has monetary value and to do so in an manner deamed illegal.

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • When used in such a manner the term defraud has a legal rather than a dictionary meaning, and the legal interpretation of fraud or defraud is applied to those acts which seek to obtain that which has monetary value and to do so in an manner deamed illegal.

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • When used in such a manner the term defraud has a legal rather than a dictionary meaning, and the legal interpretation of fraud or defraud is applied to those acts which seek to obtain that which has monetary value and to do so in an manner deamed illegal.

    Conservapedia - Recent changes [en] 2009

  • Madigan viewpoint: As the Court noted, speech in furtherance of a scheme to defraud is not speech protected by the First Amendment.

    Ghostbusting and the First Amendment Rebecca Tushnet 2009

  • Also, since Sauron’s intent was to defraud from the outset, can he gain/profit from his illegal activities?

    Lord of the Rings as Property Law : Law is Cool 2008

  • Mark's quotation of the Decalogue is unusual inasmuch as it refers to a commandment not to defraud, which is interesting.

    Review of Deuteronomy in the New Testament, edited by Steve Moyise and Maarten J. J. Menken James F. McGrath 2008

  • Thou shalt not defraud, that is, deceive or beguile.

    Works of John Bunyan — Volume 03 John Bunyan 1658

  • "The charge I felt they had proven was scheme to defraud, which is a first-degree felony punishable by 30 years in prison," he said, "which is the same statutory punishment ... as the racketeering charge."

    TCPalm Stories 2010

  • Christopher Torres, of the 1900 block of 41st Terrace Southwest, Golden Gate, was charged with possession of an admission ticket with intent to defraud, which is a misdemeanor.

    marconews.com Stories 2010

  • Christopher Torres, of the 1900 block of 41st Terrace Southwest, Golden Gate, was charged with possession of an admission ticket with intent to defraud, which is a misdemeanor.

    marconews.com Stories 2010

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