confidence man

noun

Definition of confidence mannext
as in cheat
a dishonest person who uses clever means to cheat others out of something of value taken in by a persuasive confidence man using the Internet

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 confidence man The image could be a tintype from a late-Victorian play about a confidence man who preys on wealthy young widows. — Jessica Winter, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confidence man
  1. cheat
  2. dodger
  3. shark
Noun
  • The Irish will always be able to run the ball, but without those two cheat codes, more pressure falls on Carr and another group of unproven receivers to make chunk plays.
    — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • In the end, my cheat-code pie crust worked just fine and all was well.
    — Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 July 2026
Definition of cheat
Noun
  • The White House is now cracking down on these tariff dodgers.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Ukraine faces severe personnel shortages with around 200,000 military desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers, threatening its ability to sustain the war against Russia’s 2022 invasion.
    — Kirsten Grieshaber, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
Definition of dodger
Noun
  • In one shot, the spikes of a stegosaurus’s tail, poking out over a row of foliage, wittily suggest a shark’s fin breaking the surface.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Megalodons were the largest predatory sharks in Earth's history, and went extinct around 4 million years ago.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of shark

Browse Nearby Words

confidence
confidence man
confidence men
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Cite this Entry

“Confidence man.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confidence%20man. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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