Fraud Meaning
/fɹɔːd/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe crime of stealing or otherwise illegally obtaining money by use of deception tactics.
nounAny act of deception carried out for the purpose of unfair, undeserved or unlawful gain.
Sentence Examples
The old woman fell an easy prey to the fraud.
The plan was a masterpiece of fraud.
She was charged with credit card fraud.
CEFR Practice Quiz
He was found guilty of ____ because he used fake documents to get money.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company was investigated for insurance ____ after several suspicious claims were filed by its employees.
Word Origin & History
Inherited from Middle English fraude (recorded since 1345), from Old French fraude, a borrowing from Latin fraus (“deceit, injury, offence”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"When success a lover's toil attends, / Few ask, if fraud or force attain'd his ends."
— 1712 May, [Alexander Pope], “The Rape of the Locke. An Heroi-comical Poem.”, in Miscellaneous Poems and Translations. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, canto II:
"But electric vehicles and the batteries that made them run became ensnared in corporate scandals, fraud, and monopolistic corruption that shook the confidence of the nation and inspired automotive upstarts."
— 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 1, in Internal Combustion:
"to draw the proud King Ahab into fraud"
— 1671, John Milton, “The First Book”, in Paradise Regain’d. A Poem. In IV Books. To which is Added, Samson Agonistes, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for John Starkey […], →OCLC:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
He was found guilty of ____ because he used fake documents to get money.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The company was investigated for insurance ____ after several suspicious claims were filed by its employees.