tinhorn

American

[tin-hawrn] / ˈtɪnˌhɔrn /

noun

someone, especially a gambler, who pretends to be important but actually has little money, influence, or skill.

adjective

cheap and insignificant; small-time.

a tinhorn racket.

tinhorn British

/ ˈtɪnˌhɔːn /

noun

a cheap pretentious person, esp a gambler with extravagant claims

"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

adjective

cheap and showy

"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

Etymology

Origin of tinhorn

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; tin + horn

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Seen from sophisticated aeries such as New York or London, their politics have often seemed clownish and tinhorn.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 26, 2017

This self-destructive mechanism for members’ sovereignty enabled tinhorn bureaucrats to run roughshod over good governance.

From Washington Times • Jun. 22, 2016

It may not be our job to topple every tinhorn dictator who plans his flag on a plot of land.

From US News • Apr. 18, 2016

Gregory Peck is a tinhorn gambler, Robert Preston a roaring wagon master, Henry Fonda a walrus-mustached buffalo hunter.

From Time Magazine Archive

Every tinhorn sport has his bundle, you know; but it's only your real gent that can flash a check book.

From Shorty McCabe by Wilson, F. Vaux (Francis Vaux)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023