flimflams 1 of 2

noun

plural of flimflam
1
as in ruses
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

Relevance
2
as in scams
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

flimflams

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of flimflam
as in cheats
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flimflams
  1. ruses
  2. scams
  3. cheats
  4. schemes
  5. frauds
  6. squeezes
  7. devices
  8. stings
Noun
  • Even before pro-party AI ruses were possible, the Chinese government and its supporters flooded social media with pro-China propaganda and vicious attacks on critics.
    — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
  • Such offenders will use all different ruses to distract the victim, such as claiming to be utility workers, tree trimmers, or handymen working on neighbors' houses.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 30 June 2026
Definition of ruses
Noun
  • Lizbeth Gwisdalla, who said the department regularly investigates these types of online rental scams.
    — Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026
  • This year’s summit is focused on emerging scams aimed at tax professionals, core security safeguards, and steps to take if a data theft occurs.
    — Rhett Buttle, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of scams
Verb
  • Any forward who cheats for defence, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has for much of his career, will play an elevated role on a Babcock team.
    — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • Though Lesnar rarely cheats to win, Femi isn’t going to lose clean.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Definition of cheats
Noun
  • As well as commercial programs operated by the likes of Bugcrowd, most of the big technology players also have their own schemes.
    — Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • The new Philadelphia office will focus on healthcare-fraud schemes, particularly those targeting Medicaid home-care programs.
    — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of schemes
Noun
  • Philly may be shedding its second-fiddle status, but it remains entirely repulsed by frauds and underachievers.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 24 July 2026
  • Focus Your Defenses Where The Risk Is Highest​ Many of today's biggest frauds begin with an email, an invoice or a payment request that looks completely legitimate.
    — Mark Beare, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of frauds
Verb
  • That not only squeezes consumers' budgets, but also hits businesses hard, especially those which are heavily dependent on fuel.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
  • That not only squeezes consumers’ budgets, but also hits businesses hard, especially those that are heavily dependent on fuel.
    — Matt Ott, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026
Definition of squeezes
Noun
  • Social media platforms like Instagram may also have security settings to review devices that have access to your account.
    — Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Unlike an Amazon Alexa smart speaker and other devices that wait for a command to activate, the ElliQ is designed to be proactive.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of devices
Verb
  • For van Ess, the decision particularly stings because Google Earth has long been regarded as one of the best tools to verify information posted on social media.
    — Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 31 July 2026
  • The female locates and stings a large insect such as a cicada or katydid and then brings it back to the burrow.
    — Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026
Definition of stings
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.

Browse Nearby Words

flimflamming
flimflams
flimsiness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Flimflams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flimflams. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of invidious

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

How long is a jiffy?
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All