confidence game

American  

noun

1. any swindle in which the swindler, after gaining the confidence of the victim, robs the victim by cheating at a gambling game, appropriating funds entrusted for investment, or the like.

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confidence game Idioms  

1. Also, confidence trick; con game. A swindle in which the victim is defrauded after his or her trust has been won. For example, The police warned of a confidence game in which people were asked to turn over valuables for a so-called appraisal, or The typical confidence trick is easy to spot if you know what to look for, or I almost let myself be taken in by her con game—she seemed so sincere. These terms, which use confidence in the sense of “trust,” date from the mid-1800s. They also gave rise to confidence man (or con man) for the swindler.

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Etymology

Origin of confidence game

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Example Sentences

"We're building confidence game by game, and these three points are going to be vital for the end of the season, they can decide a title race."

From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025

People purchase them because they think the value will appreciate “so obviously the confidence game will only work as long as people keep buying.”

From Reuters • Aug. 31, 2023

It’s a confidence game, and you will lose money.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 28, 2023

Deep down, writing isn’t all that different from the confidence game: It’s the art of using words to manipulate people’s thinking and emotions.

From Washington Post • Jun. 15, 2021

Whether to be 'touted' was to be held up, buncoed, or drugged and robbed, I had no definite notion; but I took it to be a confidence game of some sort and despised it accordingly.

From Checkers A Hard-luck Story by Blossom, Henry M.