shill
[ shil ]
/ ʃɪl /
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.
RELATED WORDS
lure, fascinate, seduce, ensnare, entice, tempt, mislead, delude, allure, tout, trap, deceive, toll, wile, inveigle, steer, con, shill, mousetrap, ensorcell
Nearby words
Origin of shill
First recorded in 1920–25; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for shilled
She never wowed the nation with her athletic prowess, shilled in countless car commercials, or entertained in film comedies.
Jamie Jungers is starring in an ad, Ashley Dupré is promoting the New York Post—even Monica shilled for Jenny Craig.
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
shill
"one who acts as a decoy for a gambler, auctioneer, etc.," 1916, probably originally circus or carnival argot, probably a shortened form of shillaber (1913) with the same meaning, origin unknown. The verb is attested from 1914. Related: Shilled; shilling.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper