BILK

elude, evade, bilk

(verb) escape, either physically or mentally; ā€œThe thief eluded the policeā€; ā€œThis difficult idea seems to evade herā€; ā€œThe event evades explanationā€

bilk

(verb) evade payment to; ā€œHe bilked his creditorsā€

thwart, queer, spoil, scotch, foil, cross, frustrate, baffle, bilk

(verb) hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of; ā€œWhat ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruthā€™s amazing September surgeā€; ā€œfoil your opponentā€

bilk

(verb) cheat somebody out of what is due, especially money

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

bilk (plural bilks)

(cribbage) The spoiling of someone's score in the crib.

(obsolete) A deception, a hoax.

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).

(archaic, transitive) To evade, elude.

Anagrams

• blik

Source: Wiktionary


Bilk, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bilked; p. pr. & vb. n. Bilking.] Etym: [Origin unknown. Cf. Balk.]

Definition: To frustrate or disappoint; to deceive or defraud, by nonfulfillment of engagement; to leave in the lurch; to give the slip to; as, to bilk a creditor. Thackeray.

Bilk, n.

1. A thwarting an adversary in cribbage by spoiling his score; a balk.

2. A cheat; a trick; a hoax. Hudibras.

3. Nonsense; vain words. B. Jonson.

4. A person who tricks a creditor; an untrustworthy, tricky person. Marryat.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ā€˜the father of the brideā€™ instead of ā€˜the brideā€™s fatherā€™


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