con

[kon]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR con ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

against a proposition, opinion, etc.: arguments pro and con.

noun

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

Compare pro¹.

Origin of con

1575–85; short for Latin contrā in opposition, against

con

[kon]

verb (used with object), conned, con·ning.

to learn; study; peruse or examine carefully.

to commit to memory.

Origin of con

before 1000; Middle English cunnen, Old English cunnan variant of can¹ in sense “become acquainted with, learn to know”

con

or conn

[kon]Nautical

verb (used with object), conned, con·ning.

to direct the steering of (a ship).

noun

the station of the person who cons.

the act of conning.

Origin of con

1350–1400; earlier cond, apocopated variant of Middle English condie, condue < Middle French cond(u)ire < Latin condūcere to conduct

con

⁴

[kon]Informal.

adjective

involving abuse of confidence: a con trick.

verb (used with object), conned, con·ning.

to swindle; trick: That crook conned me out of all my savings.

to persuade by deception, cajolery, etc.

noun

a confidence game or swindle.

a lie, exaggeration, or glib self-serving talk: He had a dozen different cons for getting out of paying traffic tickets.

Origin of con

⁴

1895–1900, Americanism; by shortening of confidence

con

⁵

[kon]

noun Informal.

a convention, especially one for fans of a particular type of popular culture: sci-fi, gaming, and anime cons.

Origin of con

⁵

First recorded in 1940–45; by shortening

con

⁶

[kon]

noun Slang.

a convict.

Origin of con

⁶

First recorded in 1715–25; by shortening

con

⁷

[kon]

verb (used with object), conned, con·ning. British Dialect.

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

to hammer (a nail or peg).

to beat or thrash a person with the hands or a weapon.

Origin of con

⁷

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

cons.

(in prescriptions) conserve; keep.

Origin of cons.

From the Latin word conservā

cons.

consecrated.

Cons.

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

Related Words for cons

wheedle, bilk, dupe, hoodwink, bamboozle, swindle, fraud, deception, mockery, cheat, crime, bluff, graft, fool, trick, humbug, rook, coax, inveigle, flimflam

Examples from the Web for cons

Contemporary Examples of cons

The industry lore is downright jaw-dropping in the details of the cons known as “brick-in-box” returns.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks
M.L. Nestel
December 19, 2014
Sold mostly at gas stations and smoke shops, it cons users into thinking its legal—and, inevitably then, safe.
How Pfizer Helped Make ‘Spice,’ The Deadly Fake Pot
Abby Haglage
May 17, 2014
Cons: Remembering what happened last time you impulsively embarked on a new fitness venture.
So You Are Enduring a Temporarily Paralyzing Winter Storm
Kelly Williams Brown
February 15, 2014
Cons: Once the Internet goes down, you are T-minus 10 minutes from madness.
So You Are Enduring a Temporarily Paralyzing Winter Storm
Kelly Williams Brown
February 15, 2014
Cons: You have absolutely no idea how awful things are going to be.
So You Are Enduring a Temporarily Paralyzing Winter Storm
Kelly Williams Brown
February 15, 2014

Historical Examples of cons

I must have been a bad example to other "cons," for they began to get as tired as myself.
The Autobiography of a Thief
Hutchins Hapgood
With his wife by his side, Miguel cons his occasional despatches.
The Little Lady of Lagunitas
Richard Henry Savage
In this train of mind he cons his first lessons of liberty and independence.
Thoughts on Man
William Godwin
Of the cons were all of the fighting generals of the fighting corps, save the 1st.
The Battle of Gettysburg
Frank Aretas Haskell
Still further it should be noted that the same author in cons.
The Old Yellow Book
Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for cons

Cons.

cons.

abbreviation for

Conservative

Constitution

Consul

con

noun

short for confidence trick
(as modifier)con man

verb cons, conning or conned

(tr) to swindle or defraud

Word Origin for con

C19: from confidence

con

noun (usually plural)

an argument or vote against a proposal, motion, etc

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

Compare pro 1See also pros and cons

Word Origin for con

from Latin contrā against, opposed to

con

noun

slang short for convict

con

⁴

esp US conn

nautical

verb cons, conns, conning or conned

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

noun

the place where a person who cons a vessel is stationed

Word Origin for con

C17 cun, from earlier condien to guide, from Old French conduire, from Latin condūcere; see conduct

con

⁵

verb cons, conning or conned

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

Word Origin for con

C15: variant of can 1 in the sense: to come to know

con

⁶

preposition

music with

Word Origin for con

Italian

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

Word Origin and History for cons

con

n.1

"negation" (mainly in pro and con), 1570s, short for Latin contra "against" (see contra).

con

n.2

"study," early 15c., from Old English cunnan "to know, know how" (see can (v.1)).

con

adj.

"swindling," 1889, American English, from confidence man (1849), from the many scams in which the victim is induced to hand over money as a token of confidence. Confidence with a sense of "assurance based on insufficient grounds" dates from 1590s.

con

v.1

"to guide ships," 1620s, from French conduire "to conduct, lead, guide" (10c.), from Latin conducere (see conduce). Related: Conned; conning.

con

v.2

"to swindle," 1896, from con (adj.). Related: Conned; conning.

con

n.3

a slang or colloquial shortening of various nouns beginning in con-, e.g., from the 19th century, confidant, conundrum, conformist, convict, contract, and from the 20th century, conductor, conservative.