bilk

1 of 2

verb

ˈbilk 

bilked; bilking; bilks

transitive verb

1

: to block the free development of : frustrate

fate bilks their hopes

2

a

: to cheat out of something valuable : defraud

bilking investors out of their life savings

b

: to evade payment of or to

bilks his creditors

c

: to obtain (something) by defrauding someone

The Tampa couple sent out phony sonograms and bilked money from couples wanting children, authorities say.

—Brady Dennis

3

: to slip away from

bilked her pursuers

bilker noun

bilk

2 of 2

noun

: an untrustworthy tricky individual : cheat

Did you know?

Initially, "bilking" wasn't considered cheating-just good strategy for cribbage players. Language historians aren't sure where "bilk" originated, but they have noticed that its earliest uses occur in contexts referring to cribbage. Part of the scoring in cribbage involves each player adding cards from his or her hand to a pile of discards called the "crib." At the end of a hand, the dealer gets any points in the crib. Strategically, then, it's wisest for the dealer's opponent to discard non-scoring cards-the ones most likely to "balk," or put a check on, the dealer's score. Etymologists theorize that "bilk" may have originated as an alteration of that card-game "balk."

Synonyms

Verb

• beat
• bleed
• cheat
• chisel
• chouse
• con
• cozen
• defraud
• diddle
• do
• do in
• euchre
• fiddle
• fleece
• flimflam
• gaff
• hose [slang]
• hustle
• mulct
• nobble [British slang]
• pluck
• ream
• rip off
• rook
• screw
• shake down
• short
• shortchange
• skin
• skunk
• squeeze
• stick
• stiff
• sting
• sucker
• swindle
• thimblerig
• victimize

Noun

• bilker
• cheat
• cheater
• chiseler
• chiseller
• confidence man
• cozener
• defrauder
• dodger
• fakir
• finagler
• fraudster [chiefly British]
• hoaxer
• scammer
• scamster
• shark
• sharper
• sharpie
• sharpy
• skinner
• swindler
• tricker
• trickster

Examples of bilk in a Sentence

Verb

an investigation revealed that the garage had been bilking motorists for repairs that had never been made

Noun

people who lost money in the scheme discovered that the investment company was a fake and the “owner” just a bilk

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Editor’s picks Yet to simply write Corman off as just another huckster or hack, bilking young talent for a quick buck, is to severely underestimate his smarts, his professional savvy, his love of films and his love of filmmakers. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2024

Scammers bilked that age group out of $3.4 billion last year, pushing losses up 11% compared to 2022. —Nick Rockel, Fortune, 3 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

perhaps alteration of balk entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun

1777, in the meaning defined above