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bilk. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
bilk, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
bilk in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
bilk you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
Uncertain; perhaps a variant form of balk.
Pronunciation
Noun
bilk (plural bilks)
- (cribbage) The spoiling of someone's score in the crib.
- (obsolete) A deception, a hoax.
- (obsolete) A cheat or swindler.
Verb
bilk (third-person singular simple present bilks, present participle bilking, simple past and past participle bilked)
- (transitive) To spoil the score of (someone) in cribbage.
- (transitive) To do someone out of their due; to deceive or defraud, to cheat (someone).
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:deceive
2011, Steven Pinker, The Better Angels of Our Nature, Penguin, published 2012, page 615:They also perpetrate nonviolent crimes like bilking elderly couples out of their life savings and running a business with ruthless disregard for the welfare of the workforce or stakeholders.
2021 November 2, Maria Cramer, “Texas Radio Host Who Bilked Listeners Out of Millions Is Sentenced to Life”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:Mr. Gallagher, who went by the nickname Doc, pleaded guilty on Aug. 31 to several charges connected to what prosecutors described as a Ponzi scheme that lasted nearly 10 years and bilked older people of their retirement savings.
- (intransitive, UK) To steal fuel from a self-service filling station by driving away without paying after filling the fuel tank or other container; to commit a drive-off.
- (transitive, archaic) To evade, elude.
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