German word

Betrüger

Pronunciation

IPA/bəˈtʁyːgɐ/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncon artist

Example

Er ist ein Betrüger.

He is a con artist.

Illustration for Betrüger (con artist)

More examples

Man zog den Betrüger vor Gericht.

They took the fraudster to court.

Core concept

Someone who uses a convincing appearance of honesty as a route to another person's money, advantage, or trust.

Common phrases

  • ein skrupelloser Betrüger

    an unscrupulous fraudster

  • einen Betrüger zur Rechenschaft ziehen

    hold a fraudster to account

Similar words

Schwindler: A swindler who deceives others with polished lies to take their money or benefits.
Gauner: A sly crook who pursues money or benefits through dishonest dealings.
Hochstapler: A fraud who invents credentials or a career to obtain money or a higher position.
Abzocker: A profiteer who extracts excessive payments through inflated prices or fees.

Definition in German

Person, die durch betrügerische Handlungen das Vertrauen anderer missbraucht und ihnen Schaden zufügt.

Word origin

The ending -er turns the verb betrügen into the person noun Betrüger; betrügen is historically connected with Middle High German betriegen and trügen.

Usage tips

  • The related verb uses the pattern jemanden betrügen, with the person being deceived in the accusative case.

Other meanings

  • fraudsternoun
  • cheatnoun

Related words

  • Betrugsanzeigereport of fraudnoun
  • Betrugsverfahrenfraud proceedingsnoun

Word lists with this word