bilk

bilk  (blk)

tr.v. bilked, bilk·ing, bilks

1.

a. To defraud, cheat, or swindle: made millions bilking wealthy clients on art sales.

b. To evade payment of: bilk one's debts.

2. To thwart or frustrate: "Fate . . . may be to a certain extent bilked" Thomas Carlyle.

3. To elude.

n.

1. One who cheats.

2. Obsolete A hoax or swindle.

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[Perhaps alteration of balk.]

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bilker n.

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bilk

Verb

to cheat or deceive, esp. to avoid making payment to [perhaps variant of balk]

bilker n

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	bilk - cheat somebody out of what is due, especially money cheat, rip off, chisel - deprive somebody of something by deceit; "The con-man beat me out of $50"; "This salesman ripped us off!"; "we were cheated by their clever-sounding scheme"; "They chiseled me out of my money"
	2.	bilk - hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; "What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth's amazing September surge"; "foil your opponent" frustrate, queer, scotch, thwart, foil, baffle, cross, spoil disappoint, let down - fail to meet the hopes or expectations of; "Her boyfriend let her down when he did not propose marriage" foreclose, forestall, preclude, prevent, forbid - keep from happening or arising; make impossible; "My sense of tact forbids an honest answer"; "Your role in the projects precludes your involvement in the competitive project" dash - destroy or break; "dashed ambitions and hopes" short-circuit - hamper the progress of; impede; "short-circuit warm feelings" ruin - destroy or cause to fail; "This behavior will ruin your chances of winning the election"
	3.	bilk - evade payment to; "He bilked his creditors" deprive - keep from having, keeping, or obtaining
	4.	bilk - escape, either physically or mentally; "The thief eluded the police"; "This difficult idea seems to evade her"; "The event evades explanation" elude, evade escape, get away, break loose - run away from confinement; "The convicted murderer escaped from a high security prison"