cozen
verb
coz·en ˈkə-zən 
cozened; cozening ˈkəz-niŋ
ˈkə-zə-
transitive verb
1
: to deceive, win over, or induce to do something by artful coaxing and wheedling or shrewd trickery
2
: to gain by cozening someone
cozened his supper out of the old couple
cozener
ˈkəz-nər
noun ˈkə-zə-
Did you know?
Cozen is believed to come from the Italian word for a horse trader, cozzone. Horse-trading, as in the actual swapping of horses, usually involved bargaining and compromise—and, in fact, the term horse-trading has come to suggest any shrewd negotiation. It seems safe to assume that not all of these negotiations were entirely on the up-and-up. Given its association with horse traders, it's not too surprising that cozen suggests deception and fraud.
Synonyms
- bamboozle
- beguile
- bluff
- buffalo
- burn
- catch
- con
- deceive
- delude
- dupe
- fake out
- fool
- gaff
- gammon
- gull
- have
- have on [chiefly British]
- hoax
- hoodwink
- hornswoggle
- humbug
- juggle
- misguide
- misinform
- mislead
- snooker
- snow
- spoof
- string along
- suck in
- sucker
- take in
- trick
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
cozened several elderly ladies into believing that he was intending marriage cozened scores of people by persuading them to hand over funds that he would “invest”
Recent Examples on the Web The point, however, is not to entertain the driver/employee but to cozen the owner. 
Dan Neil, WSJ, 19 Dec. 2017
Dan Neil, WSJ, 19 Dec. 2017 Word History
Etymology
perhaps from obsolete Italian cozzonare, from Italian cozzone horse trader, from Latin cocion-, cocio trader
First Known Use
1573, in the meaning defined at sense 1
cozens
verb
1
as in tricks
to cause to believe what is untrue cozened several elderly ladies into believing that he was intending marriage Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- tricks
- fools
- deceives
- kids
- strings along
- hornswoggles
- fakes out
- suckers
- dupes
- leads one down the garden path
- has on
- does a number on
- leads one up the garden path
- stings
- gulls
- cons
- teases
- takes in
- hoaxes
- gammons
- buffaloes
- humbugs
- sucks in
- hoodwinks
- bluffs
- snookers
- misleads
- deludes
- beguiles
- has
- snows
- pulls the wool over one's eyes
- spoofs
- cheats
- gaffs
- misinforms
- catches
- juggles
- misguides
- bamboozles
- pulls one's leg
- burns
- mulcts
- euchres
- sticks
- flimflams
- swindles
- rooks
- puts on
- defrauds
- diddles
- shortchanges
- fleeces
- skins
- chisels
- hustles
- bleeds
- squeezes
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- reveals
- undeceives
- exposes
- uncovers
- unmasks
- discloses
- tells
- debunks
- shows up
- divulges
- unveils
- uncloaks
- disillusions
- disenchants
- disabuses
2
as in stings
to rob by the use of trickery or threats cozened scores of people by persuading them to hand over funds that he would "invest" Synonyms & Similar Words
- stings
- cheats
- hustles
- plucks
- squeezes
- rips off
- screws
- does
- sticks
- beats
- shakes down
- chouses
- tricks
- mulcts
- takes to the cleaners
- suckers
- euchres
- shorts
- thimblerigs
- flimflams
- swindles
- cons
- rooks
- deceives
- stiffs
- defrauds
- sells a bill of goods to
- skins
- victimizes
- fiddles
- bleeds
- exploits
- fools
- takes for a ride
- shortchanges
- reams
- fleeces
- skunks
- chisels
- hoses
- does in
- gaffs
- nobbles
- diddles
- bilks
- betrays
- clips
- wrenches
- extorts
- dupes
- overcharges
- gulls
- nicks
- gouges
- milks
- bitches
- fast-talks
- soaks
- wrests
- ropes (in)
- wrings
- bamboozles
- double-crosses
- cherry picker
- cherry pie
- cherry pink
- cherry pit
- cherry plum
- cherry red
- cherry rose
- cherry sage
- cherry scab
- cherry scale
- cherry slug
- cherry tomato
- cherry wine
- cherry-pick
- cherry-picked
- cherry-picking
- cherry-picks
- cherry-tree gum
- cherrylike
- cherrypicked
- cherrypicking
- cherrypicks
- cherrystone
- cherrystones
- cherrywood