Jump To:

• con
  con

  adverb

  against a proposition, opinion, etc..
• con-
  con-

  variant of com- before a consonant (exceptb, h, l, p, r ) and, by assimilation, before n: convene; condone; connection.
• con.
  con.

  abbreviation

  concerto.
• Con.
  Con.

  abbreviation

  Conformist.

con

¹ American  

[kon] / kɒn /

adverb

1. against a proposition, opinion, etc..

   arguments pro and con.

---

noun

1. the argument, position, arguer, or voter against something.

   The pros of the library project are obvious, but we have to consider the cons as well.

con ² American  

[kon] / kɒn /

verb (used with object)

conned, conning

1. to swindle; trick.

   That crook conned me out of all my savings.

2. to persuade by deception, cajolery, etc..

   Don't worry, I can always con my dad into letting me use his car.

---

noun

1. a confidence game or swindle.

   By the time my uncle realized she was playing a con on him, she had already left town with his rare coin collection.

2. a lie, exaggeration, or glib self-serving talk.

   He had a dozen different cons for getting out of paying traffic tickets.

adjective

1. relating to or involving abuse of confidence.

   a slick con man;

   a con trick.

con ³ American  

[kon] / kɒn /

noun

Slang.

1. a convict.

   Her brother's a con up in Elmira.

---

con ⁴ American  

[kon] / kɒn /

noun

Informal.

1. a convention, especially one for fans of a particular type of popular culture.

   sci-fi, gaming, and anime cons.

---

con ⁵ American  

[kon] / kɒn /

verb (used with object)

conned, conning

1. to learn; study; peruse or examine carefully.

   She's been conning her grandfather's medical diaries for months.

2. to commit to memory.

   I have conned the state capitals in alphabetical order, from Albany to Trenton.

---

con ⁶ American  

[kon] / kɒn /

Or conn

verb (used with object)

conned, conning

1. to direct the steering of (a ship).

   conning the freighter into port.

---

noun

1. the station of the person who cons.

   You will assume the con, ensign.

2. the act of conning.

   Storms from the northeast made for a difficult con.

con ⁷ American  

[kon] / kɒn /

verb (used with object)

British Dialect.

conned, conning

1. to strike, hit, or rap (something or someone).

   We think he was conned with a cricket bat.

2. to hammer (a nail or peg).

   Who knew conning tacks into the new carpet would take so long?

3. to beat or thrash (a person) with the hands or a weapon.

   He conned the poor guy in the pub for no apparent reason.

---

con- ⁸ American  

1. variant of com- before a consonant (exceptb, h, l, p, r ) and, by assimilation, before n: convene; condone; connection.

---

con. ⁹ American  

abbreviation

1. concerto.

2. conclusion.

3. connection.

4. consolidated.

5. consul.

6. continued.

7. against.

---

Con. ¹⁰ American  

abbreviation

1. Conformist.

2. Consul.

---

con ¹ British  

/ kɒn /

noun

1. 1. short for confidence trick

   2. ( as modifier )

      con man

---

verb

1. (tr) to swindle or defraud

con ² British  

/ kɒn /

noun

1. an argument or vote against a proposal, motion, etc

2. a person who argues or votes against a proposal, motion, etc

---

con ³ British  

/ kɒn /

verb

1. (tr) to direct the steering of (a vessel)

---

noun

1. the place where a person who cons a vessel is stationed

Con. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. Conservative

---

con ⁵ British  

/ kɒn /

noun

1. slang short for convict

---

con ⁶ British  

/ kɒn /

verb

1. archaic (tr) to study attentively or learn (esp in the phrase con by rote )

---

con ⁷ British  

/ kɒn /

preposition

1. music with

---

con- ⁸ British  

prefix

1. a variant of com-

---

Etymology

Origin of con¹

First recorded in 1575–85; short for Latin contrā “in opposition, against”

Origin of con²

An Americanism first recorded in 1895–1900; by shortening of confidence

Origin of con³

First recorded in 1715–25; by shortening

Origin of con⁴

First recorded in 1940–45; by shortening

Origin of con⁵

First recorded before 1000; Middle English cunnen, Old English cunnan, variant of can ¹ in sense “become acquainted with, learn to know”

Origin of con⁶

First recorded in 1350–1400; earlier cond, apocopated variant of Middle English condie, condue, from Middle French cond(u)ire, from Latin condūcere “to conduct”

Origin of con⁷

First recorded in 1890–95; perhaps akin to French cognée “hatchet,” cogner “to knock in, drive (a nail) home”

Origin of con-⁸

From Latin

Origin of con.⁹

From the Latin word contrā

Explanation

A con, or confidence game, is a swindle — when you take advantage of someone's trust. If you con someone out of their life savings, you might wind up a con — as in convict. The word con has many meanings, none of them good. An argument has pros and cons, and the cons are always the downside. An ex-con is someone who spent time in jail as a convict, and a con artist is someone who scams people out of their money.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

con con- con. Con. conned conning

Even people without much money are being targeted by con artists.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Robert Persichitte, a financial planner and fraud examiner with Delagify Financial in Arvada, Colo., says sports stars are especially attractive targets for con artists because they are so public.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Cage plays Roy, a gifted con artist with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose tics, phobias and elaborate rituals have turned his immaculate home into a fortress against the world.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Jonathan, who had dealt with both real police and con artists before, said it was hard in the moment to tell which side he was talking to.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Until that moment, she had not said a word, but when she began to answer questions, she spoke in the same deceitful voice she had used to con caseworkers.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

But you don’t want any con- tentious relationships in play before the green flag drops.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2016

“This is no small task, but the con- sequences for food and ecosystem security could not be bigger.”

From Time ● Feb. 4, 2016

Where there’s one story, there are many, and they do not fit con- veniently together.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 21, 2013

She has been vilified in news reports around the world and called a “professional con- artist,” Thompson wrote in the filing.

From BusinessWeek ● Aug. 8, 2011

Always, as I wrote, I was both reader and writer, both the con- ceiver of the action and the appreciator of it.

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

“I don’t really care what happens to him personally. I’m not pro, I’m not con. I just think some people might want the shirt.”

From Washington Post ● Apr. 5, 2023

"It seems like a bit of a con. They're trying to pull money out of people, pushing people through court cases," she said.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2022

“This was all the long con. We’ve been wearing ’em just to get you to look stupid.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 14, 2020

We went about another 500 yards and the Navigator Lieutenant, Rob Chadwick, said: “this is the navigator. I have the con. All engines back full.”

From MSNBC ● Oct. 16, 2019

“It’s pro and con. So you should go first.”

From "P.S. Be Eleven" by Rita Williams-Garcia

“It’s Comic Con. They’re always fun,” said Reid, also known for her roles in “American Pie” and “The Big Lebowski.”

From Seattle Times ● May 13, 2016

“Word spread pretty quickly about Amazing Hawaii Con. That took everyone by storm.”

From Washington Times ● Jul. 25, 2015

“My name is Max Framer, and I’m your instructor for Insomnia Con. Please call me Max, not Mr. Framer. It helps us old folks feel young.”

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

“It’s okay, Con. You should go with Mom. Hold her hand in the parking lot, and look both ways when you’re going across the crosswalks, okay?”

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day

Shae said, “That is a sweet tale, Con. But what’s the moral of the story?”

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

"I kind of conned them into revealing that they were lying and it hit me then that con artists and trial lawyers have all the same skills," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Lexington, Ky., was conned out of $3.9 million a year later, but authorities seized all of it from a private bank account.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

How a master of deception conned investors out of $50 million — in his own words.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026

Amie Donaghey, 21, told BBC News NI she was left with a criminal conviction after being conned by a ghost broker.

From BBC ● May 19, 2026

He had successfully conned Renault and Leon and The Vigils and the whole damn school.

From "The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

“She was a con artist. She was conning the government, and men,” Perry says.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

How do I set it up to help protect his assets from possibly someone who is conning him?

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 1, 2025

In January 2023 he was jailed at Isleworth Crown Court for a separate fraud after conning £16,700 from another woman.

From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2025

Yet it was this exact determination—to build power in an inherently flawed system—that turned him into the conning strategist he became.

From Slate ● Dec. 12, 2024

Nailer clambered down from the conning deck and out into the slash of the rain.

From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi

Related Words

• bamboozle
• bilk
• dupe
• hoodwink
• swindle
• wheedle