con

1 of 12

noun (1)

: something (such as a ruse) used deceptively to gain another's confidence
He knew too much about con to fall for that one …Herbert Gold
also : a confidence game : swindle

con

2 of 12

verb (1)

conned; conning

transitive verb

1
: swindle
accused of conning retirees out of their savings
2
: manipulate sense 2b
He conned his way into the job.
3
: persuade, cajole
conned her into volunteering

con

3 of 12

noun (2)

con

4 of 12

noun (3)

plural cons
informal
: convention sense 2b
a comic book con
Now, such gatherings as the Further Confusion convention in San Jose, California, and Anthrocon in Philadelphia, attract more than 1,000 furry hobbyists apiece. (The Midwest FurFest is a smaller "con," with about 400 attending.)George Gurley

con

5 of 12

noun (4)

1
: an argument or evidence in opposition
2
: the negative position or one holding it
an appraisal of the pros and cons

con

6 of 12

adverb

: on the negative side : in opposition
so much has been written pro and con

con

7 of 12

adjective

: confidence
a con artist
a con game

con

8 of 12

verb (2)

conned; conning

transitive verb

1
: to commit to memory
conned the poem
2
: to study or examine closely
Clare regarded her attentively, conned the characters of her face as if they had been hieroglyphics.Thomas Hardy

con

9 of 12

noun (5)

slang
: a destructive disease of the lungs
especially : tuberculosis

con

10 of 12

verb (3)

less common spelling of conn

transitive verb

: to conduct or direct the steering of (a vessel, such as a ship)

con

11 of 12

abbreviation

1
consolidated
2
[Latin conjunx] consort
3
consul
4
continued

con-

12 of 12

prefix

see com-

Examples of con in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Related Articles Redwood City widow conned out of nearly $2 million, bank accused of helping scammers The first 10 years of legal marijuana in Colorado were a wild ride. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 25 Feb. 2024 In the case that sent him to prison in November, Wooton conned a Clearwater man into giving him $10,000 in 2019 for the purchase of a motorhome that didn’t exist. Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 14 Feb. 2024 Their bait-and-switch scam conned users with fake properties in major cities, including Los Angeles and Denver. Jenna Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 30 Jan. 2024 After discovering he has been conned by Cecilia and her associates, Kramer goes full Jigsaw, teaming with Shawnee Smith's franchise favorite Amanda — who also died in Saw III — to teach the swindlers a bloody lesson. Clark Collis, EW.com, 27 Sep. 2023 The scams to watch for Employee Retention Credit claims Watch out for scammers who try to con ineligible taxpayers into claiming the Employee Retention Credit. Cortlynn Stark, Sacramento Bee, 7 Feb. 2024 The show licensed a TikTok from someone who was convinced Taylor Tomlinson was conned into hosting this show (and that @midnight ran in the ’90s). Vulture, 2 Feb. 2024 Another impersonation scam conned Telegram users last year, causing the Singapore Police to issue a warning about scams on the platform. Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 31 Jan. 2024 Snipes plays a fast-talking, street savvy type who isn’t above conning his own partner. Chicago Tribune, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024
Noun
Anthony Vaccarello’s latest show for Saint Laurent divided opinions, with the pros and cons often falling along gender lines. Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 Pausing to think about the pros and cons of delaying a task or breaking unpleasant tasks into manageable pieces might help shift your mindset. Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 8 Mar. 2024 Columnist Glenn Whipp and film editor Joshua Rothkopf sat down to discuss the pros and cons of AMPAS’ latest walk-on part: an Oscar to celebrate a long-unsung aspect of moviemaking. Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The pros and cons Reach the reporter at catherine.reagor@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8040. Catherine Reagor, The Arizona Republic, 4 Mar. 2024 Years later, when Ms. Mendieta was getting ready to apply to college, her aunt sat down with her and went over the pros and cons of different schools. Kate Dwyer, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 Ramsey County officials have long debated the pros and cons of running passenger rail down West Seventh Street from the downtown St. Paul Union Depot to the Mall of America in Bloomington. Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 1 Mar. 2024 Or, asking it to list the pros and cons of a project, or display the most recent or relevant files. Amrita Khalid, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2024 Weighing the pros and cons of turning to private equity and conducting your due diligence can enable your company to take advantage of a franchising trend that’s here to stay. Paul Flick, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Adjective
There’s Benjamin Franklin’s three-century-old pro/con model, but there are also more advanced ways to answer important questions, Kozyrkov said. Byrachyl Jones, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2023 The thing to eat is at Vitek's and called the Gut Pack: Barbecue beans, cheese and con chips with sausage and peppers. Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 2 July 2023 But when the man Maizy brings back is more con than corn, Lulu and the entire town must learn that sometimes help comes from unlikely corny places. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2023 While travelling on a cruise ship, Hopsie falls for a con woman named Jean Harrington (Barbara Stanwyck). Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2023 Torn between her feelings for Paxton and Ben, Devi creates a pro-con list with Fab and Eleanor. Leah Campano, Seventeen, 11 Aug. 2022 And while the old Miranda would have faced her mid-life crisis by whipping a legal pad out of her normcore briefcase and making a pro-con list, this Miranda’s response is a lot more Carrie. Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 21 Jan. 2022 Indeed, Harmon's aim for her story was not to wade through the pro/con GMO arguments, but to open a new window onto a complicated subject. Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2013

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'con.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

derivative of con entry 7

Verb (1)

derivative of con entry 1 or con entry 7

Noun (2)

by shortening

Noun (3)

by shortening

Noun (4)

derivative of con entry 6

Adverb

short for Latin contrā "opposite, against," in the phrase pro and contra — more at contra-

Adjective

by shortening

Verb (2)

Middle English connen to know, learn, study, alteration of cunnen to know, infinitive of can — more at can entry 1

Noun (5)

short for consumption

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1901, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1893, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1940, in the meaning defined above

Noun (4)

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1889, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (5)

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of con was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near con

Cite this Entry

“Con.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/con. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

con

1 of 5 verb
conned; conning
1
2
: to study carefully

con

2 of 5 adverb
: on the negative side : in opposition
argue pro and con

con

3 of 5 noun
: an opposing argument, person, or position
the pros and cons of the question

con

4 of 5 adjective
: confidence entry 2
a con game

con-

5 of 5
see com-
Etymology

Verb

Middle English connen "to know, learn," derived from can (auxiliary verb) "to know, know how to"

Adverb

Middle English con "on the negative side, against"; a shortened form of contra "against, contrary"

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