bunco

noun

bun·​co ˈbəŋ-(ˌ)kō How to pronounce bunco (audio)
variants or bunko
plural buncos or bunkos
Synonyms of bunconext
: a swindling game or scheme
bunco transitive verb

Synonyms

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Examples of bunco in a Sentence

they were experts at that bunco, having fleeced wide-eyed tourists for years
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There will be bunco games, raffles and refreshments. — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025 There have been bunco parties, Ice Queen birthday parties, and whatever the hell NeNe’s Girls & Gays Never Forget All-White Party Seafood Soirée was. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

perhaps alteration of Spanish banca bench, banking, bank in gambling, from Italian — more at bank

First Known Use

1872, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bunco was in 1872

Rhymes for bunco

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bunco
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Cite this Entry

“Bunco.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bunco. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.

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