bunko

or bun·co

[ buhng-koh ]
See synonyms for bunko on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural bun·kos.
  1. a swindle in which a person is cheated at gambling, persuaded to buy a nonexistent, unsalable, or worthless object, or otherwise victimized.

  2. any misrepresentation.

verb (used with object),bun·koed, bun·ko·ing.
  1. to victimize by a bunko.

Origin of bunko

1
1880–85; shortened form of bunkum; cf. -o

Words Nearby bunko

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bunko in a sentence

  • "He's goin' to call in his bunko-men and take that boat," bleated Mr. Butts to Colonel Ward.

  • He cited the operations of bunko swindlers, gamblers and bandits and declared that the city was "wide open."

    Spring Street | James H. Richardson
  • There were no burglaries, gambling, picking of pockets, bunko swindling or handbook betting.

    Spring Street | James H. Richardson
  • He tries to tell me that this minin' business is all a bunko game, and that there's a paper out for the boss.

    Torchy | Sewell Ford
  • Pa says he thinks I was cut out for a bunko steerer, and I may look for that kind of a job.

    Peck's Bad Boy and His Pa | George W. Peck

British Dictionary definitions for bunko

bunko

/ (ˈbʌŋkəʊ) /


noun, verb
  1. a variant spelling of bunco

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012