grifter
[ grif-ter ]
/ ˈgrɪf tər /
noun Slang.
a person who operates a side show at a circus, fair, etc., especially a gambling attraction.
a swindler, dishonest gambler, or the like.
Nearby words
- griffith, d. w.,
- griffith-joyner,
- griffo,
- griffon,
- grift,
- grig,
- grigioni,
- grignard,
- grignard reaction,
- grignard reagent
Origin of grifter
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for grifter
Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) is a grifter and a wingnut, but is he possibly a felon too?
Ethics Office Sees Evidence Republican Congressman Broke the Law|Ben Jacobs|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEASTAfter a lifetime being raised by and working alongside his grifter father, Bob decides he wants out.
grifter
"confidence trickster," 1906, carnival and circus slang, probably an alteration of grafter (see graft (n.2); also cf. grift). Gradually extended to "any non-violent criminal."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper