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grift

American  

[grift] / grɪft /

noun

1. (sometimes used with a plural verb) a group of methods for obtaining money falsely through the use of swindles, frauds, dishonest gambling, etc.

2. money obtained from such practices.

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verb (used without object)

1. to profit by the use of grift.

   a man known to have grifted for many years.

verb (used with object)

1. to obtain (money or other profit) by grift.

Etymology

Origin of grift

First recorded in 1910–15; perhaps alteration of graft ²

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grift

You mentioned people who don’t work for the government getting in on the grift, too?

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026

This particular grift may have failed, but in a world built on massive structural inequality, grifters tend to prosper.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

He dubbed the burgeoning world of peptides as one of "pseudoscience and grift."

From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026

Along the way, Cass gives short shrift to the many useful things that the financial industry does that are not a grift.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026

“Let me come along. I can sell tickets. Russ can do anything—he’s young. Give me his job. I can still count, and I don’t short-change. I know you don’t run a grift show.”

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

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