Meaning & use

fraud

noun·Academic

Wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain, or a person who deceives others in this way.

See it in a sentence

The company was fined heavily after investigators uncovered widespread accounting fraud.

She realized too late that the online seller was a fraud who never shipped the item.

A note on using this word

Fraud can refer to the deceptive act itself (commit fraud) or, informally, to a person who is not what they claim to be (he's a total fraud).

Words with a similar meaning

deceptionscamswindler

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

honesty

Make it your own

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