Synonyms of con

con 1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈkän 

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

• prisoner
• convict
• inmate
• jailbird
• trusty
• captive
• capture
• parolee
• lifer
• internee
• probationer

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scam
• fraud
• swindle
• bunko
• bunco
• scheme
• hoax
• flimflam
• shell game
• sting
• trick
• fiddle
• device
• hustle
• cross
• counterfeit
• racket
• Ponzi scheme
• pyramid scheme
• fix
• ploy
• stratagem
• jig
• sham
• dodge
• phoney
• fake
• wile
• gimmick
• rip-off
• forgery
• sleight
• phony
• gouging
• thimblerig
• overcharging
• soaking
• three-card monte
• humbug

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• study
• learn
• memorize
• know
• remember
• understand
• grasp
• recall
• think (of)
• retain
• get
• accept
• recollect
• apprehend
• hark back (to)
• comprehend
• reminisce (about)
• digest
• mind
• absorb
• relive

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• forget
• unlearn
• slight
• ignore
• disregard
• pass over
• overlook
• neglect
• disremember
• misremember
• slur (over)
• overpass

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scan
• review
• survey
• examine
• inspect
• view
• go over
• audit
• watch
• check (out)
• scrutinize
• analyze
• oversee
• overlook
• study
• investigate
• notice
• explore
• dissect
• peruse
• pore (over)
• parse
• classify
• research
• comb
• probe
• observe
• plumb
• categorize
• pick over
• delve (into)
• reinspect
• resurvey
• rereview

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• skim
• miss
• glance (at or over)

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cheat
• squeeze
• hustle
• sting
• pluck
• stick
• swindle
• screw
• beat
• trick
• deceive
• do
• flimflam
• shake down
• defraud
• bilk
• sucker
• fleece
• chouse
• bleed
• mulct
• stiff
• skin
• short
• victimize
• euchre
• fiddle
• gaff
• cozen
• ream
• hose
• exploit
• nobble
• rip off
• chisel
• shortchange
• diddle
• rook
• fool
• take for a ride
• skunk
• thimblerig
• do in
• betray
• take to the cleaners
• wrench
• sell a bill of goods to
• extort
• clip
• dupe
• nick
• overcharge
• rope (in)
• milk
• gouge
• gull
• wrest
• wring
• bitch
• soak
• double-cross
• bamboozle
• fast-talk

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• trick
• fool
• deceive
• dupe
• kid
• delude
• hoax
• mislead
• tease
• sucker
• bluff
• juggle
• humbug
• hoodwink
• cheat
• gull
• bamboozle
• spoof
• gaff
• string along
• suck in
• misinform
• cozen
• buffalo
• sting
• hornswoggle
• misguide
• snow
• take in
• have on
• fake out
• beguile
• gammon
• snooker
• catch
• do a number on
• have
• burn
• lead one down the garden path
• lead one up the garden path
• pull one's leg
• swindle
• pull the wool over one's eyes
• put on
• stick
• defraud
• fleece
• mulct
• euchre
• flimflam
• skin
• hustle
• shortchange
• chisel
• rook
• diddle
• bleed
• squeeze

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undeceive
• expose
• reveal
• unmask
• show up
• debunk
• tell
• uncover
• disclose
• divulge
• unveil
• uncloak
• disillusion
• disabuse
• disenchant

Examples of con in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Election forum The League of Women Voters of Cupertino-Sunnyvale is hosting an online forum Oct. 16 to discuss the pros and cons of measures before Sunnyvale voters in November. —Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 6 Oct. 2024

This long con has allowed these industries to make billions of dollars with zero accountability—until recently, when California attorney general Rob Bonta announced that the state of California was suing ExxonMobil for environmental damage and recycling lies. —Judith Enck, Scientific American, 5 Oct. 2024

As the value of music catalogs soars, artists like Eve are weighing the pros and cons of parting with their intellectual property, a decision that can have lasting impacts on their careers and legacies. —Kori Hale, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024

Listen to concerns and evaluate the pros and cons, but in the end, follow your instincts. —Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2024

Phrases Containing con

• mod con