1. the practice of deceiving someone in order to get money or advantage from them; fraud or trickery
Usage: archaic; formal

Examples

• The merchant was accused of cozenage in his dealings with customers.
• Through clever cozenage, the con artist separated the elderly woman from her savings.
• The court found evidence of systematic cozenage in the company’s accounting practices.
• His reputation was ruined by accusations of cozenage and dishonest business practices.
• The detective uncovered a pattern of cozenage that had been going on for years.
• She fell victim to the stranger’s cozenage and lost her inheritance.