con 1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈkän How to pronounce con (audio)
Definition of connext
as in prisoner
a person convicted as a criminal and serving a prison sentence a program to help ex-cons find employment

Synonyms & Similar Words

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con

2 of 4

noun (2)

as in scam
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value the explanation was so plausible that I never suspected it was all a con to make off with my car

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con

3 of 4

verb (1)

1
as in to study
to commit to memory usually candidates con their entire campaign speech, right down to the jokes they supposedly ad-lib

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to scan
to look over closely (as for judging quality or condition) seemed to be conning his face for any sign of uncertainty

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

con

4 of 4

verb (2)

1
as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats a fly-by-night operator who had conned hundreds of would-be homeowners out of their hard-earned money

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2
as in to trick
to cause to believe what is untrue tried to con me into thinking that he had actually won the lottery

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of con
Noun
The board weighed the pros and cons. — Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 23 June 2026 Hand-rolled with tobaccos grown higher than 3,500 feet above sea level on Plasencia’s Finca San Julián in Condega, the cigar has a café con crema aroma and medium-plus flavors of grass and leather, accented by a natural sweetness locked into the higher-elevation leaves. — Richard Carleton Hacker, Robb Report, 19 June 2026
Verb
And now the nation will probably never get back to normal because a spineless GOP can never admit that it’s been conned. — Steven Greenhut, Oc Register, 22 May 2026 This category of crime does not get a lot of press because many of the victims do not want to let people know they were conned, but these horrendous crimes against humanity are occurring every day. — Melvin Douglas Wilson, Hartford Courant, 21 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for con
Recent Examples of Synonyms for con
  1. prisoner
  2. scam
  3. study
  4. scan
  5. cheat
  6. trick
  7. convict
  8. learn
Noun
  • Alicent and Helaena will be held prisoner until Aemond is found and killed.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 July 2026
  • The river has risen again and again, and in 1993, the Mississippi did not go over the levee, at first, but under it, burrowing a tunnel like a prisoner seeking freedom.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of prisoner
Noun
  • Three members of a criminal enterprise that stole financial information from hundreds of victims across North Texas have been sentenced a year after the scam was uncovered, according to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office.
    — Mary Ella Hastings July 9, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 July 2026
  • The Connecticut Department of Children and Families has fallen victim to a phishing scam that may have led to confidential records being leaked.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026
Definition of scam
Verb
  • More people will be studied, more tests will be done and the participants will be looked at for a longer period to get a better sense of the impacts, the researchers said.
    — Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 12 July 2026
  • Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has been appointed as the head of a new White House group to study unidentified anomalous phenomena or UAP, a new catch-all term for UFOs that might appear not just in the air but also in space or underwater.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of study
Verb
  • People are instructed to scan the QR link on the letter that will lead them to a list of available appointments to reschedule their test.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • Agents then referred the vehicle for a secondary inspection and used X-ray equipment to scan the truck and trailer.
    — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Definition of scan
Verb
  • The American grandmaster shed some light on his mindset following Kramnik’s cheating accusations in a livestream prior to his death, according to the Associated Press.
    — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
  • Trump has also continued to claim Democrats are trying to rig or cheat in the upcoming election, remarks that have faced rebukes from members of his own party.
    — Ana Ceballos Follow, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of cheat
Verb
  • These fraudulent sites often mimic legitimate stores or rank high in search results, tricking desperate consumers into buying non-existent AC units.
    — Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
  • The revenge story saw Tucker's exes convincing Snow's Kate to trick the ladies' man into falling in love with her.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 4 July 2026
Definition of trick
Noun
  • He is listed among the two hundred convicts who arrived in Sydney aboard the barque Norfolk in August 1829.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
  • The new bill has a broader base of legislative support and instead uses the preference distinction to incentivize hiring former convicts as opposed to the 15% quota.
    — Evelyn Ronan, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of convict
Verb
  • Career readiness and workforce development programs also help students connect their classroom learning to relevant career fields.
    — Sivan Hines, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026
  • Dawkins learned about the group secondhand on Thursday from somebody who was asked to participate.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 9 July 2026
Definition of learn

Phrases Containing con

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Comstockery
con
concatenate
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Cite this Entry

“Con.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/con. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of con for Spanish Speakers

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