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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.

See Examples For:

tinhorn

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

As President, Reagan vowed, he would say just that to any "tinhorn dictator" in Panama who sought to gain control over the waterway.

From Time Magazine Archive

He wasn't no Johnnie, and he wasn't no tinhorn sport.

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

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