cozen

• POS: Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: coz=en

CIDE DICTIONARY

cozen, v. t. [From cousin, hence, literally, to deceive through pretext of relationship, F. cousiner.].

 To cheat; to defraud; to beguile; to deceive, usually by small arts, or in a pitiful way.  [1913 Webster]
"He had cozened the world by fine phrases."  [1913 Webster]
"Children may be cozened into a knowledge of the letters."  [1913 Webster]
"Goring loved no man so well but that he would cozen him,
and expose him to public mirth for having been cozened."  [1913 Webster]

cozen, v. i. 

 To deceive; to cheat; to act deceitfully.  [1913 Webster]
"Some cogging, cozening slave."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

cozen, v. literary 1 tr. (often foll. by of, out of) cheat, defraud.
2 tr. (often foll. by into) beguile; persuade.
3 intr. act deceitfully.

Derivative

cozenage n.

Etymology

16th-c. cant, perh. rel. to COUSIN

THESAURUS

cozen

beat, beguile, beguile of, betray, bilk, bunco, burn, cheat, chisel, chouse, chouse out of, cog, cog the dice, con, crib, defraud, delude, diddle, do, do in, do out of, double-cross, euchre, finagle, flam, fleece, flimflam, fob, fudge, gouge, gull, gyp, have, hocus, hocus-pocus, humbug, mislead, mulct, overreach, pack the deal, pigeon, practice fraud upon, rook, scam, screw, sell gold bricks, sell out, shave, shortchange, stack the cards, stick, sting, swindle, take a dive, take in, thimblerig, throw a fight, victimize

ROGET THESAURUS

cozen

Deception

VB deceive, take in, defraud, cheat, jockey, do, cozen, diddle, nab, chouse, play one false, bilk, cully, jilt, bite, pluck, swindle, victimize, abuse, mystify, blind one's eyes, blindfold, hoodwink, throw dust into the eyes, dupe, gull, hoax, fool, befool, bamboozle, flimflam, hornswoggle, trick, impose upon, practice upon, play upon, put upon, palm off on, palm upon, foist upon, snatch a verdict, bluff off, bluff, bunko, four flush, gum, spoof, stuff (a ballot box), circumvent, overreach, outreach, out wit, out maneuver, steal a march upon, give the go-by, to leave in the lurch decoy, waylay, lure, beguile, delude, inveigle, entrap, intrap, ensnare, nick, springe, set a trap, lay a trap, lay a snare for, bait the hook, forelay, spread the toils, lime, trapan, trepan, kidnap, let in, hook in, nousle, nousel, blind a trail, enmesh, immesh, shanghai, catch, catch in a trap, sniggle, entangle, illaqueate, hocus, escamoter, practice on one's credulity, hum, humbug, gammon, stuff up, sell, play a trick upon one, play a practical joke upon one, put something over on one, put one over on, balk, trip up, throw a tub to a whale, fool to the top of one's bent, send on a fool's errand, make game, make a fool of, make an April fool of, make an ass of, trifle with, cajole, flatter, come over, gild the pill, make things pleasant, divert, put a good face upon, dissemble, cog, cog the dice, load the dice, stack the deck, live by one's wits, play at hide and seek, obtain money under false pretenses, conjure, juggle, practice chicanery, deacon, play off, palm off, foist off, fob-off, lie, misinform, mislead, betray, be deceived.