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Synonyms

con man

American  
[kon man] / ˈkɒn ˌmæn /
Or conman

noun

Slang.
  1. short for confidence man.


con man British  

noun

  1. More formal term: confidence maninformal a person who swindles another by means of a confidence trick

"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

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

In Hays: “Paper Moon,” a film about a Depression-era con man played by Ryan O’Neal and his little girl, was shot in black and white throughout Ellis County.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 16, 2026

After he pitched 2⅔ scoreless innings to win the game and the World Series championship for the Dodgers, the gamesmanship had been transformed into greatness, and the con man had become a hero.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 15, 2026

This is precisely what a con man would say to a mark.

From Salon Dec. 21, 2025

Puech, the 82-year-old fifth-generation heir to one of Europe’s most iconic and profitable businesses, testified that Freymond “turned out to be a con man, even a gangster.”

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 18, 2025

“Phooey, I say, on all white-shoe college boys who edit their campus literary magazines. Give me an honest con man any day.”

From "Franny and Zooey" by J. D. Salinger

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