Bilked
/bɪlkt/noun
Cheated, swindled, or evaded payment or obligation.
Did you know?The word’s history is murky, but by the 18th century it was already used in English for cheating or defrauding someone, giving it a long, shadowy life in the language of deceit.
Etymological Timeline
18th Century
English
bilk
“To cheat, defraud, or evade payment”
Earlier 18th Century
English
bilk
“To frustrate or evade, especially by trickery or avoidance”
Origin uncertain
English
bilk
“Possibly influenced by older dialectal words meaning to cheat or balk”
Modern English
English
bilked
“Cheated or swindled”