\ ˈshil 
\
\shilled; shilling; shills
Definition of shill
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to act as a shill
2 : to act as a spokesperson or promoter
the eminent Shakespearean producer … is now shilling for a brokerage house— Andy Rooney
shill
nounDefinition of shill (Entry 2 of 2)
1a : one who acts as a decoy (as for a pitchman or gambler)
b : one who makes a sales pitch or serves as a promoter
2 : pitch sense 8a
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Examples of shill in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb March 30, 2020 × Ads shilling credit programs, or programs to get creditors off your back, also appear more plentiful — which makes sense given the economic fears and realities unleashed by the coronavirus.
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Los Angeles Times, "Commentary: Charmin’s bears are just cruel now. How coronavirus has changed TV ads," 23 Apr. 2020 That might be due, in part, to the fact there's less promotion involved, since shilling for upcoming movies or TV shows feels like a little awkward.
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Brian Lowry, CNN, "Social distancing TV is finding its groove -- and discovering its limits," 17 Apr. 2020 Conspiracy theorist and far-right radio host Alex Jones has been ordered by the New York attorney general to stop shilling phony coronavirus cures.
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Joshua Bote, USA TODAY, "Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones ordered to stop peddling phony coronavirus cures by New York AG," 14 Mar. 2020 Not proud of that trump endorsement tho — L (@hayIorswift) February 3, 2020
The families separated at the border are ashamed of this tweet, Kimberly
— Asal Helmsly (@AKHelmsly) February 3, 2020
But God — shilling for trump?!
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Tanya Edwards, refinery29.com, "Kim Kardashian West Didn’t Drag Trump’s Super Bowl Ad, But Everyone Else Did," 2 Feb. 2020 She's done everything from teeth whitening to shilling for Rian Johnson's Knives Out, by playing a murder mystery alongside other reality stars like Scheana Marie from Vanderpump Rules.
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Martha Sorren, refinery29.com, "A Lot Has Changed For Demi Burnett Since Bachelor In Paradise Ended," 13 Jan. 2020 Professional financial advice from an objective financial adviser — avoid those shilling products — can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the retirement savings of the average American worker.
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Michael J. Francis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "401k Adviser: Don’t let your lack of funds stop you from seeking help from a financial adviser," 27 Dec. 2019 Godzilla has been recruited to shill a range of products in commercials, from Snickers to Fiat cars.
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Clark Collis, EW.com, "Five ways to celebrate Godzilla's 65th birthday," 3 Nov. 2019 In 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration chided a Canadian pharma company who paid the reality TV star to shill an anti-nausea pill to her 74 million Instagram and Twitter followers without citing the risks of the prescription drug.
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Anne Quito, Quartzy, "A new “university” for Instagram influencers aims to stop the spread of misinformation," 23 July 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Avast also alerted both TikTok and Instagram to the shill accounts doing the promotions.
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Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "A tip from a kid helps detect iOS and Android scam apps’ 2.4 million downloads," 22 Sep. 2020 Again, he was cast by critics in the role of Trump shill.
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Washington Post, "Surgeon General Jerome Adams may be the nicest guy in the Trump administration. But is that what America needs right now?," 12 July 2020 In years past, advertising agencies have had Britney Spears shill for Pepsi, invented the Budweiser frogs, hired Ridley Scott to direct, and gotten Golden Girls star Betty White cast as football player in a Snickers commercial.
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Melissa Locker, Time, "It Is With Heavy Hearts That We Must Face This Announcement That the Dapper Mr. Peanut Has 'Died'," 22 Jan. 2020 Experts disagree on whether the use of shill bidders is common, or appropriate.
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Dennis Wagner, azcentral, "Fake bids drive up prices on popular site Auction Nation, Republic finds," 24 June 2019 Each side of the argument saw the other as out of touch and vaguely foreign—shills of evil corporations or dupes of clueless NGOs.
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The Economist, "Brazil and Japan plotted a farming revolution in Mozambique," 14 Nov. 2019 If an auctioneer uses house bidders to get a minimum price, these items are most likely the targets for shills.
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Dennis Wagner, azcentral, "How to protect yourself from house bidders in online auctions," 24 June 2019 Even the second-best theme-park shills in Orlando provided my kids with the joy of a lifetime, at least until the next outlandishly expensive trip.
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Kyle Smith, National Review, "Orlando Magic," 22 Aug. 2019 As Maupin tried to serve as a neutral mediator and allow the students to read statements of apologies, he was met with jeers from some students, who called him a shill for racists.
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Richard Ruelas And, azcentral, "Why has former Attorney General Tom Horne aligned himself with the Rev. Jarrett Maupin?," 21 June 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shill.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for shill
shill
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of shill
US, informal + disapproving : to talk about or describe someone or something in a favorable way because you are being paid to do it
See the full definition for shill in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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Time Traveler for shill
The first known use of shill was circa 1914
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