bunko

or bun·co

[ buhng-koh ]

/ ˈbʌŋ koʊ /

Informal.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bunko ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural bun·kos.

a swindle in which a person is cheated at gambling, persuaded to buy a nonexistent, unsalable, or worthless object, or otherwise victimized.

any misrepresentation.

verb (used with object), bun·koed, bun·ko·ing.

to victimize by a bunko.

Words related to bunko

con, flimflam, hustle, racket, rip-off, sting, swindle, Ponzi, bait-and-switch

Words nearby bunko

bunker, archie, bunkerage, bunkhouse, bunkie, bunkmate, bunko, bunko steerer, bunkroom, bunkum, bunn, bunny

Origin of bunko

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bunko

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
He cited the operations of bunko swindlers, gamblers and bandits and declared that the city was "wide open."
Spring Street|James H. Richardson
Say, you give me back my eighteen dollars, or I'll——You'll try your bunko game on me, will you?
Torchy|Sewell Ford
There were no burglaries, gambling, picking of pockets, bunko swindling or handbook betting.
Spring Street|James H. Richardson

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

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