Defrauded
/dɪˈfrɔːdɪd/
verbB2past tense
Definition
To be defrauded means someone has taken your money or things by lying or cheating you. It is often used when someone breaks the law to get money from another person unfairly. This word shows a serious kind of trick or crime.
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⚡ See It in Action
To take money or property unfairly by cheating or lying
- •She was defrauded of her savings by a fake investment company.
- •Many people were defrauded by the online scam.
- •The company defrauded customers by charging for services they never provided.
🧲 Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "defrauded" like "cheated," but more serious because it often involves breaking rules or laws.
- ✓Picture someone giving their money to a person who promises something but then disappears with the money.
- ✓It's the feeling of losing trust when you find out someone lied to get your money.
- ✓Sounds like "de-FRAUD-ed" → imagine a "fraud" (a fake person) taking something that is not theirs.
- ✓Think of stories about scams or con artists who trick people to steal money.
- ✓NOT like "borrowed" (which is allowed and expected to be returned), "defrauded" means taken without permission and unfairly.
- ✓NOT like "lost" (which can be by accident), "defrauded" means someone caused the loss by cheating.
- ✓NOT like "lied" (just words), "defrauded" involves taking money or goods by lying.
🔄 Try Other Words
- •Cheated: to be treated unfairly or dishonestly (Use when the situation is less formal or less serious)
- •Scammed: tricked to give money or information (Use when talking about fraud through tricks, especially online)
- •Conned: tricked by a person who lies (Use in informal speech about lies to take money)
- •Swindled: taken money by cheating (Use when emphasizing the act of stealing by trick)
🔍 Unboxing
- •Word parts: prefix "de-" (down, away) + root "fraud" (cheating, trick) + suffix "-ed" (past tense)
- •Etymology: From Latin "fraus" meaning deceit or trick, entered English as "fraud" meaning cheating or crime to get money
- •Historical development: "Defraud" appeared in English in the 15th century, meaning to cheat or take money unfairly
- •Modern usage: Used in legal and everyday language to describe serious cheating, especially involving money or property
💭 Reflect & Connect
•How can people protect themselves from being defrauded in everyday life?
•Why do you think the law treats defrauding as a serious crime compared to simple lying?
Fill in the blanks with the correct word:
1.She was defrauded when she trusted someone who promised to ___ her money safely.
2.People feel angry and sad after being defrauded because they lost their ___ unfairly.
3.Being defrauded is different from just losing money because it involves ___ or cheating.
4.The company was caught and punished for defrauding customers by charging for ___ they never gave.
5.Online scams often defraud people by pretending to be ___ companies or banks.
6.If you are defrauded, it usually means someone took your money ___ your permission.
7.When someone is defrauded, they often have to ___ to get their money back or justice.