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shill

[ shil ]
/ ʃɪl /
Slang.
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See synonyms for: shill / shilled / shilling on Thesaurus.com
noun
a person who poses as a customer in order to decoy others into participating, as at a gambling house, auction, confidence game, etc.
a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self-interest, personal profit, or friendship or loyalty.
verb (used without object)
to work as a shill: He shills for a large casino.
verb (used with object)
to advertise or promote (a product) as or in the manner of a huckster; hustle: He was hired to shill a new TV show.
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Origin of shill

First recorded in 1920–25; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to shill

enticement, business, staff, nightstick, truncheon, bettor, bookie, bookmaker, abettor, accomplice, aid, aide, assistant, associate, colleague, confederate, conspirator, helper, insider, partner

How to use shill in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for shill

shill
/ (ʃɪl) /
noun
slang a confidence trickster's assistant, esp a person who poses as an ordinary customer, gambler, etc, in order to entice others to participate

Word Origin for shill

C20: perhaps shortened from shillaber a circus barker, of unknown origin
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
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