Bilking

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To engage in the act of cheating someone out of money or possessions while avoiding payment or responsibility through deceitful tactics
2. To systematically defraud an individual or organization by evading financial obligations through manipulation and dishonesty
3. To illegally avoid paying what is owed by deceiving or tricking others

Etymology: "Bilking" is the present participle of "bilk", and the verb itself is of uncertain origin. The most often proposed link is to "balk", a word for obstructing, thwarting or disappointing someone, which would fit the sense of leaving a creditor or a bettor frustrated and out of pocket. The connection is plausible in meaning, but it has not been proven, so it is best treated as a likely relative rather than a confirmed ancestor. Whatever its exact source, "bilk" has long carried the sense of cheating someone out of a payment or a debt, often by slipping away or dodging the bill rather than by an open theft. That is why the word fits so neatly with gambling and tab-skipping, where the crime is less a robbery than a refusal to settle up.

Synonyms: defrauding, cheating

Antonyms: honesty, paying