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bunko

or bun·co

[buhng-koh]Informal.
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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.
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verb (used with object), bun·koed, bun·ko·ing.
  1. to victimize by a bunko.
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Origin of bunko

1880–85; shortened form of bunkum; cf. -o
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for bunko

Historical Examples

  • Say, you give me back my eighteen dollars, or I'll——You'll try your bunko game on me, will you?

    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.

  • 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

British Dictionary definitions for bunko

bunko

noun, verb
  1. a variant spelling of bunco
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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