What does choused mean?
"Choused" is the past tense of the verb "chouse," meaning to cheat or swindle someone out of something — usually money, goods, or rights — through trickery, deception, or underhanded dealing. The word entered English in the early seventeenth century, though its ultimate origin remains uncertain; one frequently cited suggestion links it to the Turkish "çavuş," meaning a messenger or sergeant. In use, "choused" almost always appears in the construction "choused out of," as in "he was choused out of his inheritance." The word has an informal, somewhat old-fashioned register today, lending a slightly literary color to writing about fraud and sharp practice, but its meaning is clear: it denotes being deliberately and unfairly deprived of something by deceit rather than by force. Synonyms include cheated, swindled, defrauded, duped, fleeced, and bilked, though none carry quite the same quaint ring. Though rare in contemporary speech, it survives in historical fiction and legal-flavored prose describing old-fashioned con games.
verb (past tense and past participle of 'chouse')Cheated or swindled out of something, typically through trickery or sharp practice.
- To cheat or swindle someone out of money or property by trickery or unfair dealing.
"He claimed the antique dealer had choused him out of a fortune with forged papers."
"The confidence man choused elderly investors out of their savings with promises of guaranteed returns."
"Feeling choused by the vague contract terms, she demanded her deposit back immediately."
"Chouse" may have slunk into English from the Turkish word for a military messenger — a humble courier that somehow gave its name to being swindled.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of choused
First recorded in English in the early seventeenth century, "chouse" means to cheat or swindle. Its origin is genuinely uncertain: the most commonly suggested source is the Turkish "çavuş" (a messenger or sergeant-at-arms), supposedly introduced via encounters at the Ottoman court, though this etymology is not firmly established. The word quickly settled into the fixed pattern "chouse out of," which remains its characteristic usage.
Related word forms
How choused is actually used
Somewhat archaic and informal in modern usage; it carries a slightly literary or old-fashioned flavor compared with everyday alternatives like "cheated" or "swindled." It is almost always followed by "out of" plus the thing taken.
Easily confused with choused
'Chose' is the past tense of 'choose' (to select), while 'choused' is the past tense of 'chouse' (to swindle) — similar spelling, entirely different meanings.