: something (such as a ruse) used deceptively to gain another's confidence
He knew too much about con to fall for that one …—
Herbert Gold
Herbert Gold
also
: a confidence game : swindle
conned; conning
1
: swindle
accused of conning retirees out of their savings
2
: manipulate sense 2b
He conned his way into the job.
plural cons
informal
: convention sense 2b
a comic book con
Now, such gatherings as the Further Confusion convention in San Jose, California, and Anthrocon in Philadelphia, attract more than 1,000 furry hobbyists apiece. (The Midwest FurFest is a smaller "con," with about 400 attending.)—George Gurley
George Gurley1
: an argument or evidence in opposition
2
: the negative position or one holding it
an appraisal of the pros and cons
: on the negative side : in opposition
so much has been written pro and con
: confidence
a con artist
a con game
conned; conning
1
: to commit to memory
conned the poem
2
: to study or examine closely
Clare regarded her attentively, conned the characters of her face as if they had been hieroglyphics.—Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
slang
: a destructive disease of the lungs
especially
: tuberculosis
1
consolidated
2
[Latin conjunx]
consort
3
consul
4
continued
Synonyms
Noun (1)
Verb (1)
- beat
- bilk
- bleed
- cheat
- chisel
- chouse
- cozen
- defraud
- diddle
- do
- do in
- euchre
- fiddle
- fleece
- flimflam
- gaff
- hose [slang]
- hustle
- mulct
- nobble [British slang]
- pluck
- ream
- rip off
- rook
- screw
- shake down
- short
- shortchange
- skin
- skunk
- squeeze
- stick
- stiff
- sting
- sucker
- swindle
- thimblerig
- victimize
Noun (2)
Noun (5)
Examples of con in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a program to help ex-cons find employment
Verb (1)
a fly-by-night operator who had conned hundreds of would-be homeowners out of their hard-earned money
tried to con me into thinking that he had actually won the lottery
Noun (2)
the explanation was so plausible that I never suspected it was all a con to make off with my car
Noun (5)
usually candidates con their entire campaign speech, right down to the jokes they supposedly ad-lib
seemed to be conning his face for any sign of uncertainty
Recent Examples on the Web
Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 14 Oct. 2024
Criminal organizations may have conned people out of around $75 billion through pig butchering scams.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 12 Oct. 2024
Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
One final con of consuming raw potatoes: Since spuds are grown in the ground, they will be covered with dirt, grime, and potentially, bacteria.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2024
Meridith Alexander, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024
If making a pro/con list doesn’t help, try flipping a coin.
—Tarot.com, Orlando Sentinel, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for con 
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.
Verb
The con wants to con, and the mark wants to believe.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 14 Oct. 2024
Criminal organizations may have conned people out of around $75 billion through pig butchering scams.
—Matt Burgess, WIRED, 12 Oct. 2024
Noun
The third film about the sociopathic clown largely repeats the pros and cons of the last movie — killer makeup effects and a great performance buried in a repetitive flick with a story that’s impossible to care about — but that’s more than enough for fans of this increasingly popular franchise.
—Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
One final con of consuming raw potatoes: Since spuds are grown in the ground, they will be covered with dirt, grime, and potentially, bacteria.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Instead, try replacing pro/con lists with a more nuanced framework like the DeStuckifier.
—Meridith Alexander, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024
If making a pro/con list doesn’t help, try flipping a coin.
—Tarot.com, Orlando Sentinel, 23 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for con
Dictionary Entries Near con
Cite this Entry
“Con.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/con. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
con
2 of 9 verb
conned; conning
: to deceive or trick (someone) : to persuade (someone) by telling lies
conning retirees out of their money
con
3 of 9 adjective
: confidence entry 2
a con game
a con artist
con
4 of 9 noun
: convict
con
6 of 9 adverb
: on the negative side : in opposition
argue pro and con
con
7 of 9 noun
: an opposing argument, person, or position
the pros and cons of the question
con
8 of 9 verb1
: memorize
2
: to study carefully
con-
9 of 9
see com-
Etymology
Adverb
Middle English con "on the negative side, against"; a shortened form of contra "against, contrary"
Verb
Middle English connen "to know, learn," derived from can (auxiliary verb) "to know, know how to"
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