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Meaning & use

fraud

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/frɔːd/
US/frɔːd/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable or uncountablelegal

    Deliberate deception, often against the law, carried out to get money or an advantage.

    Grammar: Uncountable for the crime in general (credit card fraud); countable for a specific scheme (a fraud).

    Patterns

    • commit fraud
    • a fraud against someone

    He was charged with tax fraud.

    The company lost millions through a massive fraud.

    Insurance fraud raises costs for everyone.

  2. nouncountableinformaldisapproving

    A person who pretends to be something they are not.

    Grammar: Informal and critical when describing a person: he's a fraud.

    Patterns

    • a complete fraud

    The so-called expert turned out to be a fraud.

    She felt like a fraud when she was promoted.

    The painter was exposed as a fraud.

  3. nouncountableinformal

    Something that is not genuine and so fails to live up to what is claimed.

    Grammar: Used for products and claims: the cure was a fraud.

    Patterns

    • turn out to be a fraud

    The miracle cream proved a fraud.

    The antique vase was a fraud made last year.

    Critics called the election a fraud.

Word forms

pluralfrauds

Common combinations

commit fraud
He was accused of committing fraud.
credit card fraud
Credit card fraud has risen sharply.
investigate fraud
Officers are investigating the fraud.
accuse of fraud
They accused the manager of fraud.
tax fraud
Tax fraud can lead to prison.
expose a fraud
The journalist exposed a major fraud.

Synonyms and how they differ

swindle
Swindle is a more everyday word for a trick that cheats someone out of money, and sounds less official than fraud.
scam
Scam is informal and often for a short scheme aimed at ordinary people, while fraud is the broader legal term.
fake
Fake describes a false object or person, whereas fraud also names the act of deceiving.
impostor
An impostor pretends to be someone else, while a fraud pretends to have qualities or skills they do not.

Opposites

honestythe real thing

Word family

fraudster noun
a person who commits fraud
fraudulent adjective
done by deceiving others, especially illegally
fraudulently adverb
in a deceitful way
defraud verb
to cheat someone out of money

Commonly confused: fraud or forgery?

fraud vs forgery

A forgery is a false copy of a document or artwork, whereas fraud is the wider act of deceiving someone.

Practice

Police arrested the man for ___ after he sold fake tickets to hundreds of people.

Make it your own

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