Meanings
nounfraud (countable and uncountable, plural frauds)
plural frauds
- countableuncountableAny act of deception carried out for the purpose of unfair, undeserved or unlawful gain.
When success a lover's toil attends, / Few ask, if fraud or force attain'd his ends.
1712 May, [Alexander Pope], “The Rape of the Locke. An Heroi-comical Poem.”, in Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, canto II1 more example
But electric vehicles and the batteries that made them run became ensnared in corporate scandals, fraud, and monopolistic corruption that shook the confidence of the nation and inspired automotive upstarts.
2006, Edwin Black, chapter 1, in Internal CombustionSynonyms: fiddle
- countableuncountableA person who performs any such trick.
Synonyms: faker, fraudster, imposter, trickster, bamboozler, bouncer, bullshitter, cheat
- countableobsoleteuncountableA trap or snare.
to draw the proud King Ahab into fraud
1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe crime of stealing or otherwise illegally obtaining money by use of deception tactics.
nounAny act of deception carried out for the purpose of unfair, undeserved or unlawful gain.
Similar
nounA person who performs any such trick.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna person who makes deceitful pretenses
nounsomething intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinfraus“deceit, injury, offence”
- Old Frenchfraude
- Englishfraud
Inherited from Middle English fraude (recorded since 1345), from Old French fraude, a borrowing from Latin fraus (“deceit, injury, offence”).
More words from Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans bedrog, bedrieër
- bedrogact of deception
- bedrieërone who performs fraud
Ancient Greek ἀπατεών
- ἀπατεών (apateṓn)one who performs fraud
Arabic غِشّ, اِحْتِيال
- غِشّ (ḡišš)act of deception
- اِحْتِيال (iḥtiyāl)act of deception
- تَزْوِير (tazwīr)act of deception
Bulgarian изма́ма, изма́ми
- изма́ма (izmáma)act of deception
- изма́ми (izmámi)act of deception
- измамник (izmamnik)one who performs fraud
- мошеник (mošenik)one who performs fraud
- трик (trik)one who performs fraud
- уловка (ulovka)one who performs fraud
Catalan frau, defraudador
- frauact of deception
- defraudadorone who performs fraud
- defraudadoraone who performs fraud
- impostorone who performs fraud
- impostoraone who performs fraud
Chinese Mandarin 騙局 /骗局, 詐騙 /诈骗
- 騙局 /骗局 (piànjú)act of deception
- 詐騙 /诈骗 (zhàpiàn)act of deception
- 詐欺 /诈欺 (zhàqī)act of deception
- 騙局 /骗局 (piànjú)assumption of a false identity to such deceptive end
- 詐騙 /诈骗 (zhàpiàn)assumption of a false identity to such deceptive end
Czech podvod
- podvodact of deception
Danish bedrageri, svindel
- bedrageriact of deception
- svindelact of deception
- bedrageriassumption of a false identity to such deceptive end
- forfalskningassumption of a false identity to such deceptive end
- bedragerone who performs fraud
- svindlerone who performs fraud
Dutch fraude, flessentrekkerij
- fraudeact of deception
- flessentrekkerijact of deception
- bedrogact of deception
- oplichterijact of deception
- oplichtingact of deception
- zwendelact of deception
- fraudeurone who performs fraud
- oplichterone who performs fraud
- bedriegerone who performs fraud
- charlatanone who performs fraud
- vervalserone who performs fraud
Esperanto fraŭdo, trompo
- fraŭdoact of deception
- trompoact of deception
Estonian kelmus
- kelmusact of deception
Finnish petos, vilppi
- petosact of deception
- vilppiact of deception
- huijausact of deception
- vilunkiact of deception
- kusetusact of deception
- petkutusact of deception
- huiputusact of deception
- puijausact of deception
- petkuttaminenact of deception
- huiputtaminenact of deception
- puijaaminenact of deception
- huijaaminenact of deception
French fraude, imposteur
- fraudeact of deception
- imposteurone who performs fraud
- charlatanone who performs fraud
- fraudeurone who performs fraud
German Betrug, Schwindel
- Betrugact of deception
- Schwindelact of deception
- Hochstapeleiassumption of a false identity to such deceptive end
- Betrügerone who performs fraud
- Betrügerinone who performs fraud
- Hochstaplerone who performs fraud
Greek απάτη, απατεώνας
- απάτη (apáti)act of deception
- απατεώνας (apateónas)one who performs fraud
Hebrew רַמָּאוּת
- רַמָּאוּת (ramaút)act of deception
Hindi धोखा, छल
- धोखा (dhokhā)act of deception
- छल (chal)act of deception
- झाँसा (jhā̃sā)act of deception
- छलिया (chaliyā)one who performs fraud
Hungarian csalás, szélhámosság
- csalásact of deception
- szélhámosságact of deception
- csalóone who performs fraud
- szélhámosone who performs fraud
Indonesian penipuan, penipu
- penipuanact of deception
- penipuone who performs fraud
Irish calaois
- calaoisact of deception
Italian frode, frodi
- frodeact of deception
- frodiact of deception
- baratteriaact of deception
Japanese 詐欺, 詐欺師
- 詐欺 (sagi)act of deception
- 詐欺師 (sagishi)one who performs fraud
- ペテン師 (petenshi)one who performs fraud
Korean 사기
- 사기 (sagi)act of deception
Latin fraus, captiō
- frausact of deception
- captiōact of deception
- fraudātorone who performs fraud
Latvian krāpšana
- krāpšanaact of deception
Lithuanian sukčiavimas
- sukčiavimasact of deception
Māori hara taware, hoko tāhae
- hara tawareact of deception
- hoko tāhaeact of deception
- hara tāwareassumption of a false identity to such deceptive end
Norwegian bedrageri, svindel
- bedrageriact of deception
- svindelact of deception
Persian شیادی, کلاهبرداری
- شیادی (šayyâdi)act of deception
- کلاهبرداری (kolâhbardâri)act of deception
- فریب (farib)act of deception
- شیاد (šayyâd)one who performs fraud
- کلاهبردار (kolâhbardâr)one who performs fraud
- آپارتی (âpârti)one who performs fraud
Polish oszustwo, wyłudzenie
- oszustwoact of deception
- wyłudzenieact of deception
- oszustone who performs fraud
- oszustkaone who performs fraud
- szachrajone who performs fraud
- szachrajkaone who performs fraud
- szalbierzone who performs fraud
Portuguese fraude, falcatrua
- fraudeact of deception
- falcatruaact of deception
- logroact of deception
- estelionatoact of deception
- falsidade ideológicaassumption of a false identity to such deceptive end
- fraudadorone who performs fraud
Romanian înșelăciune
- înșelăciuneact of deception
Russian моше́нничество, жу́льничество
- моше́нничество (mošénničestvo)act of deception
- жу́льничество (žúlʹničestvo)act of deception
- афе́ра (aféra)act of deception
- шу́лерство (šúlerstvo)act of deception
- моше́нник (mošénnik)one who performs fraud
- жу́лик (žúlik)one who performs fraud
- афери́ст (aferíst)one who performs fraud
- шу́лер (šúler)one who performs fraud
Slovak podvod
- podvodact of deception
Spanish fraude, dolo
- fraudeact of deception
- doloact of deception
- trafaact of deception
- defraudadorone who performs fraud
- fraudardefraud
Swahili ghashi, sakata
- ghashiact of deception
- sakataact of deception
Swedish bedrägeri, svindel
- bedrägeriact of deception
- svindelact of deception
- bedrägeriassumption of a false identity to such deceptive end
- förfalskningassumption of a false identity to such deceptive end
- bedragareone who performs fraud
Tagalog daya, pandaraya
- dayaact of deception
- pandarayaact of deception
- dayaassumption of a false identity to such deceptive end
- pandarayaassumption of a false identity to such deceptive end
Thai การฉ้อโกง, การโกง
- การฉ้อโกง (gaan-chɔ̂ɔ-goong)act of deception
- การโกงact of deception
- การทุจริต (gaan-tút-jà-rìt)act of deception
Turkish dolandırıcılık
- dolandırıcılıkact of deception
Ukrainian шахра́йство, шахра́й
- шахра́йство (šaxrájstvo)act of deception
- шахра́й (šaxráj)one who performs fraud
Vietnamese sự gian lận, sự gian trá
- sự gian lậnact of deception
- sự gian tráact of deception
- sự lừa lọcact of deception
Welsh twyll
- twyllact of deception
Yiddish שווינדל
- שווינדל (shvindl)act of deception
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with fraud
broadabroadClaudeflawedapplaudmaudbaudMaudedefraudawedclawedlaudoverbroadpawedbawdgaudbelaudmaraudpitcher-bawdplaud
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
fraud. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fraud
MLA
“fraud.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fraud. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fraud,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fraud.
Source: fraud on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.