grift

American  

[grift] / grɪft /

noun

1. (sometimes used with a plural verb) a group of methods for obtaining money falsely through the use of swindles, frauds, dishonest gambling, etc.

2. money obtained from such practices.

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verb (used without object)

1. to profit by the use of grift.

   a man known to have grifted for many years.

verb (used with object)

1. to obtain (money or other profit) by grift.

Etymology

Origin of grift

First recorded in 1910–15; perhaps alteration of graft ²

Example Sentences

Appeared in the May 8, 2026, print edition as 'The Great 340B Healthcare Grift'.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Grift and greed have deadly consequences in Megan Abbott’s ‘El Dorado Drive,’ a mystery about suburban women caught up in a pyramid scheme called the Wheel.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2025

It often seems to me that we need a term to describe a somewhat similar phenomenon in policy debates, which we might call the Big Grift.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 5, 2023

Grift and greed are at the heart of most of these affairs, and while some have been shelved and others do not directly implicate Sarkozy, at least four cases are still under judicial scrutiny.

From Slate • Mar. 2, 2021

John Keen, about 83 years of age, maternal great-grandfather of Fanny Van de Grift Stevenson.

From The Life of Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson by Sanchez, Nellie Van de Grift