con

1 of 12

noun (1)

ˈkän 

: 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

also : a confidence game : swindle

con

2 of 12

verb (1)

conned; conning

transitive verb

1

: swindle

accused of conning retirees out of their savings

2

: manipulate sense 2b

He conned his way into the job.

3

: persuade, cajole

conned her into volunteering

con

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noun (2)

: convict

con

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noun (3)

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

con

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noun (4)

1

: an argument or evidence in opposition

2

: the negative position or one holding it

an appraisal of the pros and cons

con

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adverb

: on the negative side : in opposition

so much has been written pro and con

con

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adjective

: confidence

a con artist

a con game

con

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verb (2)

conned; conning

transitive verb

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

con

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noun (5)

slang

: a destructive disease of the lungs

especially : tuberculosis

con

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verb (3)

less common spelling of conn

transitive verb

: to conduct or direct the steering of (a vessel, such as a ship)

con

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abbreviation

1

consolidated

2

[Latin conjunx] consort

3

consul

4

continued

con-

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prefix

see com-

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• convict
• jailbird

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)

• bunco
• bunko
• fiddle [chiefly British]
• flimflam
• fraud
• hustle
• scam
• shell game
• sting
• swindle

Noun (5)

• learn
• memorize
• study

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

Verb

In 2023, senior citizens were conned out of roughly $3.4 billion in a range of financial crimes, according to the FBI data. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 17 Dec. 2024

The emotional and commercial mix that hits shoppers at this time of year is what scammers are relying upon to con buyers out of their credit card data or banking information as iPhone discount scams flood the marketplace, according to one leading security vendor. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024

Noun

Residents and officials highlighted the pros and cons this week. —Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 19 Dec. 2024

Deciding between the two begins with testing your water and weighing the pros and cons of your family's individual needs. —Sherri Gordon, Health, 19 Dec. 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

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

derivative of con entry 7

Verb (1)

derivative of con entry 1 or con entry 7

Noun (2)

by shortening

Noun (3)

by shortening

Noun (4)

derivative of con entry 6

Adverb

short for Latin contrā "opposite, against," in the phrase pro and contra — more at contra-

Adjective

by shortening

Verb (2)

Middle English connen to know, learn, study, alteration of cunnen to know, infinitive of can — more at can entry 1

Noun (5)

short for consumption

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1901, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1893, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1940, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1889, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (5)

1915, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing con

• arroz con pollo
• body-con
• chile con queso
• chili con carne
• chili con queso
• con amore
• con anima
• con artist
• con brio
• con espressione
• con game
• con man
• con moto
• con spirito
• con trick
• crim con
• ex-con
• mod con
• nem con
• pro and con
• spon-con

Kids Definition

con

1 of 9 noun

ˈkän 

: a dishonest trick used to gain someone's confidence

also : a confidence game : swindle

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

5 of 9 noun

informal

: convention sense 2

a comic con

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 verb

1

: 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"