swindled; swindling
ˈswin(d)-liŋ 
ˈswin-dᵊl-iŋ
: to obtain money or property by fraud or deceit
: to take money or property from by fraud or deceit
Synonyms
Examples of swindle in a Sentence
Verb
hundreds of people were swindled out of their savings, and all they had to show for it were fake land deeds
Noun
a swindle that involved selling a lot of land that really didn't exist
identity theft has become one of the most frequent and feared swindles of our time
Recent Examples on the Web
Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024
For at least three years, Buckle presented himself as a life coach and financial advisor who is accused of swindling his clients out of large sums of cash.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2024
Police said that scammers convinced him to isolate himself and swindled his family out of $80,000.
—Kevin Collier, NBC News, 4 Jan. 2024
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said a criminal organization is suspected of running a fraud scheme between 2021 and 2023 to swindle Italy’s recovery packages.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
She has been accused over the years of using elaborate deceptions to swindle hefty sums of money in schemes that led to two felony convictions.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
The Republican Party continues to lie and swindle its voter base.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2024
With the disgraced cofounder of crypto exchange FTX facing up to 50 years in prison for swindling customers and investors out of billions, his lawyers are now playing the sympathy card.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024
Hacking groups out of North Korea are swindling sensitive information from LinkedIn members and other social platforms, Microsoft confirms.
—Gene Marks, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
Joel Khalili, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024
For Stewart, the money defrauded was not the concern; rather, the safety of the people caught up in the swindle was her priority.
—The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024
Hennepin County prosecutors filed the charges against Wooton, who in November began serving a nearly two-year prison sentence on a theft by swindle conviction out of Wright County.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 14 Feb. 2024
Older Americans are among the most likely to fall victim to a variety of con jobs, and may be especially vulnerable to ones that prey on loneliness like romance hustles, grandparent swindles and even pet scams.
—Emma Dibdin, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023
But there are additional swindles out there, including scams involving deception, distraction and petty theft.
—Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023
The discovery of what Gonzalez believed was a license to print money led him to repeat the swindle again and again in different states—effectively stealing five luxury vehicles worth approximately $560,000 in total.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2023
Each of the podcast’s incisive, scrappy seasons looks, with plenty of side eye, at a different aspect of the American dream and the swindles and institutions that claim to make that dream come true.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023
The final thing that struck me in light of Ellison’s testimony is how unsophisticated the entire FTX/Alameda hustle really was—more like the plot of a Coen brothers film than a swindle designed by geniuses.
—Kathleen Breitman, Fortune Crypto, 13 Oct. 2023
Verb
After further questioning, Pennington admitted to swindling Dicenzo out of $30,000.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2024
For at least three years, Buckle presented himself as a life coach and financial advisor who is accused of swindling his clients out of large sums of cash.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2024
Police said that scammers convinced him to isolate himself and swindled his family out of $80,000.
—Kevin Collier, NBC News, 4 Jan. 2024
The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) said a criminal organization is suspected of running a fraud scheme between 2021 and 2023 to swindle Italy’s recovery packages.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 4 Apr. 2024
She has been accused over the years of using elaborate deceptions to swindle hefty sums of money in schemes that led to two felony convictions.
—Isabella Kwai, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
The Republican Party continues to lie and swindle its voter base.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 23 Mar. 2024
With the disgraced cofounder of crypto exchange FTX facing up to 50 years in prison for swindling customers and investors out of billions, his lawyers are now playing the sympathy card.
—Nick Rockel, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024
Hacking groups out of North Korea are swindling sensitive information from LinkedIn members and other social platforms, Microsoft confirms.
—Gene Marks, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024
Noun
The type of swindle Ryan suspects he has been caught in is known as a token presale scam.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 15 Apr. 2024
For Stewart, the money defrauded was not the concern; rather, the safety of the people caught up in the swindle was her priority.
—The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024
Hennepin County prosecutors filed the charges against Wooton, who in November began serving a nearly two-year prison sentence on a theft by swindle conviction out of Wright County.
—Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 14 Feb. 2024
Older Americans are among the most likely to fall victim to a variety of con jobs, and may be especially vulnerable to ones that prey on loneliness like romance hustles, grandparent swindles and even pet scams.
—Emma Dibdin, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023
But there are additional swindles out there, including scams involving deception, distraction and petty theft.
—Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2023
The discovery of what Gonzalez believed was a license to print money led him to repeat the swindle again and again in different states—effectively stealing five luxury vehicles worth approximately $560,000 in total.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2023
Each of the podcast’s incisive, scrappy seasons looks, with plenty of side eye, at a different aspect of the American dream and the swindles and institutions that claim to make that dream come true.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2023
The final thing that struck me in light of Ellison’s testimony is how unsophisticated the entire FTX/Alameda hustle really was—more like the plot of a Coen brothers film than a swindle designed by geniuses.
—Kathleen Breitman, Fortune Crypto, 13 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'swindle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Swindle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/swindle. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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