ˈfrȯd noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English fraude, from Middle French, from Latin fraud-, fraus; akin to Sanskrit dhūrvati he injures, dhūrta fraudulent, and probably to Old High German triogan to deceive, Old Norse draugr ghost, Sanskrit droha injury, treachery
1.
a. : an instance or an act of trickery or deceit especially when involving misrepresentation : an act of deluding : delusion
the presumed guarantee of standards is really a fraud — Walter Moberley
as
(1) or fraud in fact : an intentional misrepresentation, concealment, or nondisclosure for the purpose of inducing another in reliance upon it to part with some valuable thing belonging to him or to surrender a legal right : a false representation of a matter of fact by words or conduct, by false or misleading allegations, or by the concealment of what should have been disclosed that deceives or is intended to deceive another so he shall act upon it to his legal injury — called also actual fraud
(2) or fraud in equity : an act, omission to act, or concealment by which one person obtains an advantage against conscience over another or which equity or public policy forbids as being prejudicial to another (as an act in violation of a relationship of trust and confidence) — called also equitable fraud, legal fraud ; see constructive fraud
b. : a means used in trickery : a dishonest stratagem or a spurious thing passed off as genuine : trick , hoax
who worked the big fraud on the … bank — Rudyard Kipling
2. : the quality of being deceitful : the disposition to deceive
the dross of fraud and charlatanism — Lewis Mumford
3. : the condition of being defrauded or beguiled
4.
a. : a person who is not what he pretends to be : pretender , humbug , hypocrite
the pretentious fraud who assumes a love of culture that is alien to him — Richard Watts
b. : one who defrauds : cheat
the fraud is simply another variety of confidence man who pretends to have influence — G.A.Graham
Synonyms: see deception , imposture