Thesaurus results for BILKED

bilked

verb

past tense of bilk

as in cheated

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

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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 bilked Their $118 million operation bilked local investors, including the retirement fund of a Long Island fire department whose members thought its cash was being held in mutual funds and securities. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 21 Oct. 2026 In 2025, romance scammers bilked ordinary men and women out of over a billion dollars using a variety of crooked tactics. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026 Rimes is accused of of stealing $17,000 from a Daytona Beach resident and Heard allegedly bilked a victim out of $9,300. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026 Jason Cloth, a film producer with dozens of credits including Joker, Longlegs and Babylon, is facing numerous federal fraud charges and decades in prison in connection with a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors of more than $100 million. — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 29 July 2026 Federal prosecutors allege Eidleh was the mastermind who bilked taxpayers out of $250 million by exploiting federal child nutrition programs meant to feed vulnerable children. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2026 The Justice Department said that the disgraced former executive bilked the museum out of the money by altering invoices and approving transactions for personal purchases. — News Desk, Artforum, 14 July 2026 Lawmakers have griped for decades that defense contractors have bilked the federal government on lucrative projects that run over budget and over schedule. — Garrett Downs, CNBC, 14 July 2026 Multiple scams over the course of three days bilked Washington state residents out of more than $670,000, according to a Facebook post from the local sheriff’s office. — Drew Pittock, USA Today, 5 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bilked

Verb

But the idea that girls are being cheated is personal for some athletes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
Miller—who is no stranger to extramarital tabloid scandals herself—has also mastered her getting-cheated-on performances.

— Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of cheated

Verb

Quickly, the house lights come up, and Lay and family are hustled backstage to get reacquainted.

— Joan Kron, Allure, 28 Sep. 2026
Her mother hustled her to hospital, only for the doctors to realize Accurso’s active imagination had left her in the same predicament as Madeline’s friends.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of hustled

Verb

The rich have been stung by a surprise 20% tax on their offshore wealth, much of it squirreled away in trusts in Hong Kong and Singapore, triggering a new rush for foreign passports.

— Andy Browne, semafor.com, 27 Oct. 2026
But Wednesday’s result stung, as the 25-point defeat is the second-most lopsided season-opening loss in Heat history.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of stung

Verb

Yet profits have still been squeezed as jet fuel prices surged roughly 90% since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February, forcing several major carriers to cut earnings forecasts.

— Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, free cash flow at another budget carrier, JetBlue Airways, remains severely squeezed by elevated jet fuel prices.

— , CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezed

Verb

And there’s little reasonable about looking the other way when residents say they’re being swindled or when the state’s constitution is being violated.

— Scott Maxwell, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Oct. 2026
At one point, Fred was swindled out of upward of $15,000 when someone pretended to be the owner of a house for sale that Fred wanted to buy.

— Megan Rose, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of swindled

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“Bilked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bilked. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bilked

verb

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