Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- transitive verb To defraud, cheat, or swindle.
- transitive verb To evade payment of.
- transitive verb To thwart or frustrate.
- transitive verb To elude.
- noun One who cheats.
- noun Obsolete A hoax or swindle.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In cribbage, the spoiling of one's score in the crib.
- noun Nothing; vain words.
- noun [To call a word “Arabic” or “Hebrew” was and still is a way of dignifying slang or jargon.]
- noun A trick; a fraud.
- noun A cheat; a swindler.
- Fallacious; unreliable.
- In cribbage, to balk or spoil any one's score in his crib.
- To frustrate or disappoint.
- To deceive or defraud; leave in the lurch; cheat: often with of: as, to
bilk one of his due; to bilk a creditor; “don't you bilk me,” - To evade or escape from; dodge; elude.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To frustrate or disappoint; to deceive or defraud, by nonfulfillment of engagement; to leave in the lurch; to give the slip to.
- noun A thwarting an adversary in cribbage by spoiling his score; a balk.
- noun A cheat; a trick; a hoax.
- noun Nonsense; vain words.
- noun A person who tricks a creditor; an untrustworthy, tricky person.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb transitive To
frustrate ordisappoint ; todeceive ordefraud by not fulfilling an obligation; toleave in the lurch .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb evade payment to
- verb escape, either physically or mentally
- verb hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
- verb cheat somebody out of what is due, especially money
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Investment banks established known super risky credit instruments built to "bilk" both domestic and foreign investors and bond traders of their equity.
Another Nightmare in the likes of Iraq and Katrina - Greed '08 2008
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Investment banks established known super risky credit instruments built to "bilk" both domestic and foreign investors and bond traders of their equity.
Another Nightmare in the likes of Iraq and Katrina - Greed '08. 2008
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Obama seems to take that posture when he says companies who don't "bilk" people don't have to fear his reforms.
"BANPC" via James Bow in Google Reader The Commentator 2010
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Feel free to search for his infamous "bilk" comment back when Dragon Arse came out to see the reactions the last time he said this.
Eurogamer 2010
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Obama seems to take that posture when he says companies who don't "bilk" people don't have to fear his reforms.
"BANPC" via James Bow in Google Reader The Commentator 2010
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_ "Then this is a clear case of 'bilk' on his part.
On the Heels of De Wet Lionel James 1913
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Or maybe he should have withdrawn from cheney's energy commission talks where they set up the scan to bilk this country out of high high high gasoline prices.
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November 29th, 2009 6: 40 pm ET just another far left loon trying to bilk more money out of the american public for their ill-gotten social programs. lets vote this idiot out of office and into the unemployment line!!
Obey questions Afghan war, explains his war tax proposal 2009
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German tax authorities are now investigating almost 40 companies that traded certificates for allegedly taking advantage of loopholes in sales tax laws to bilk the taxman out of hundreds of millions of euros.
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Ron L. Hubbard was nothing more than a con man and a scam artist as well as a second rate sci-fi writer, who managed to cash in on a viable scam to bilk honest hard working people out of their money.
minerva commented on the word bilk
...One hundred and fifty guineas, or pounds, is no small sum to lose-- and by a young creature, who would have bilked her lodgings!
You amaze me, Miss Martin!-- What language do you talk in?-- Bilk my lodgings!-- What is that?
Sally Martin and Clarissa Harlowe (as quoted by Belford), Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
December 17, 2007
coldspire commented on the word bilk
Also: milk beer, a fruity-flavored beverage created by adding yeast and hops to milk, and fermenting.
Initially created in Japan to reduce a milk surplus. Distribution to international markets is unknown.
March 28, 2008
BrainyBabe commented on the word bilk
If the milk beer meaning is correct, then see also koumiss, a fermented dairy beverege treated much like beer.
December 23, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word bilk
Also chicha.
December 23, 2008
jinglebelljosie commented on the word bilk
also can be used as a noun; a swindler or cheater
March 7, 2009
sionnach commented on the word bilk
to cheat or deceive.
Bilk the Rattling Cove; Sharp the Coachman of his Hire.
May 9, 2009
bilby commented on the word bilk
I like the sharpness of this word. Oooh! I can almost feel the jab of pain as the money disappears.
February 17, 2016