Meanings
swindler1
nounswindler (plural swindlers)
plural swindlers
- A person who swindles, cheats or defrauds.
But I got somethin’ to say bearin’ on that swindler who got what was comin’ to him.
1908, The Scrap Book: Second Section, volume V, page 6371 more example
There’s good reason to worry. In an earlier memoir, “Five-Finger Discount,” Stapinski recreated the terrifying world of swindlers, embezzlers, burglars and mobster wannabes who made up her extended Jersey City family.
2017 June 23, Max Byrd, “A Trip to Southern Italy to Shed Light on a Family Scandal”, in The New York TimesSynonyms: bamboozler, bouncer, bullshitter, cheat, cheater, cogger, cony-catcher, crammer
Swindler2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who swindles, cheats or defrauds.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna person who swindles you by means of deception or fraud
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- GermanSchwindler
- Englishswindler
Borrowed from German Schwindler, 1774.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek φέναξ
- φέναξ (phénax)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Arabic مُحْتَال
- مُحْتَال (muḥtāl)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Catalan estafador, estafadora
- estafadorperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- estafadoraperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Chinese Mandarin 騙子 /骗子, 江湖騙子 /江湖骗子
- 騙子 /骗子 (piànzi)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- 江湖騙子 /江湖骗子 (jiānghú piànzi)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Czech podvodník, šejdíř
- podvodníkperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- šejdířperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- švindlířperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Dutch zwendelaar, zwendelaarster
- zwendelaarperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- zwendelaarsterperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Esperanto fikomercisto
- fikomercistoperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Finnish huijari, petkuttaja
- huijariperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- petkuttajaperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
French escroc, aigrefin
- escrocperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- aigrefinperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- margoulinperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
German Schwindler, Schwindlerin
- Schwindlerperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- Schwindlerinperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- Gaunerperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- Gaunerinperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- Betrügerperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- Betrügerinperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Greek κομπιναδόρος
- κομπιναδόρος (kompinadóros)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Hindi ठग
- ठग (ṭhag)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Hungarian csaló, szélhámos
- csalóperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- szélhámosperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- svindlerperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- szédelgőperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Indonesian penipu, bajingan
- penipuperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- bajinganperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- pecundangperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Italian ingannatore, defraudatore
- ingannatoreperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- defraudatoreperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- ciarlatanoperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- gabbatoreperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- truffatoreperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Japanese 詐欺師
- 詐欺師 (sagishi)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Latin fraudātor
- fraudātorperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Māori kaitāware
- kaitāwareperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Polish szuler, oszust
- szulerperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- oszustperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Portuguese caloteiro, estelionatário
- caloteiroperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- estelionatárioperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Russian моше́нник, моше́нница
- моше́нник (mošénnik)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- моше́нница (mošénnica)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- жу́лик (žúlik)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- афери́ст (aferíst)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- афери́стка (aferístka)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Spanish estafador, chapucero
- estafadorperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- chapuceroperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- defraudadorperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- engañabobosperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- trapaceroperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Swahili mlaghai
- mlaghaiperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Swedish svindlare
- svindlareperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Tagalog balasubas
- balasubasperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Turkish dolandırıcı
- dolandırıcıperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Welsh twyllwr, twyllwraig
- twyllwrperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
- twyllwraigperson who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Yiddish שווינדלער
- שווינדלער (shvindler)person who swindles, cheats or defrauds
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with swindler
millerkillerthrillerpillarfillerschillerchillertillerstillerdrillerdistillerspillerbillerpillervillargrillergillerwillerfibrillarSillertonsillartrillermyofibrillaraxillar
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
swindler. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swindler
MLA
“swindler.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swindler. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “swindler,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/swindler.
Source: swindler on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.