1
as in ruse
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
giving the new guy at work her cell phone number—"in case of an emergency"—was just a flimflam to pique his romantic interest
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in scam
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value
just the latest Internet flimflam to get e-mail recipients to reveal bank account numbers and other personal information
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
everyone likes to think that they're too smart to be flimflammed by anyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of flimflam
The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Aug. 2022
Instead, Democrats should present voters with a material choice between a party that has nothing to offer the majority of Americans but abuse and conspiratorial flimflam and a party committed to building a democracy and an economy that work for all.
—Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 5 Feb. 2021
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for flimflam
Noun
There are no extra fillers, no gimmicks, and no flimflam.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 Aug. 2022
Instead, Democrats should present voters with a material choice between a party that has nothing to offer the majority of Americans but abuse and conspiratorial flimflam and a party committed to building a democracy and an economy that work for all.
—Osita Nwanevu, The New Republic, 5 Feb. 2021
Verb
But liars like Kari Lake, who lost a bid for Arizona governor by parroting former President Trump’s falsehoods and hopes now to flimflam her way to a Senate seat, are only the most visible threat to our system of democracy.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for flimflam
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flimflam
Noun
-
But authorities now believe Speight made the whole story up — and even shot himself as part of a ruse.—
Janelle Griffith,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
-
How could Russ possibly sustain this ruse?—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Instead, hang up, report the number and details of the scam to the sheriff's office or local police.—
David Clarey,
jsonline.com,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Data from the commission show from 2020 to 2023, consumers lost more than $110 million in scams involving Bitcoin ATMs.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The scandal exposed how some wealthy families cheated and bribed to secure spots for their children at elite universities, sparking nationwide outrage over denied opportunities for more deserving students.—
Hanna Park,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
-
This isn’t the first time that the couple was surrounded by cheating rumors.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Rosenzweig worked on dozens of complex cases as a prosecutor in the economic crimes section, which focuses on healthcare fraud, money laundering and other financial schemes.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The Lions’ surprisingly poor showing against their NFC North rivals kneecapped CBS’ deliveries, although the Eye Network also didn’t get much of a lift from the new BDP scheme.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The law lowers daily transaction minimums, increases warnings on the kiosks, requires transaction receipts and requires Bitcoin ATM operators to issue refunds to victims of fraud, the release states.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Oct. 2025
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Other senior officials opted to leave, including the bureau’s top fraud expert, cryptanalyst and skyjacking expert, and the head of its Crime Information Center.—
Douglas M. Charles,
The Conversation,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Teoscar Hernández chooses the right time to hustle No one has felt the highs and lows of this series quite like Hernández, whose defensive gaffe in the second inning of Game 1 exacerbated the Dodgers’ early deficit and whose bat lifted them to a 5-3 victory that night.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Viral videos captured federal officers arresting people and hustling them into unmarked vehicles.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The fast food giant announced the return of the classic Halloween item, which makes the perfect vessel for storing candy that is picked up while making the rounds of trick-or-treating.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Basically, a kid goes out trick-or-treating on Halloween.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Still, losing out on more seasons of Zoë Kravitz playing a lovably bisexual mess navigating New York City particularly stings.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Andreas Helmersen hit the bar while Patrick Berg’s stinging effort was saved by Guglielmo Vicario.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flimflam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flimflam. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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