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
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
Noun
-
The New York Colored American reported that some offers of short-term work for Black men — moving livestock to or from Kentucky, for example — were ruses that ended with kidnappings.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025 -
Many suspect a spam call and don't pick up the phone, leading foundation staff to sometimes devise ruses.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
How to avoid stimulus check scams As plans for any forthcoming checks remain unclear, stimulus scams have become so widespread that the IRS has cautioned the public to stay vigilant.—
Cheyenne Derksen,
Oklahoman,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Keep your items close and protected The amount of local scams and pickpockets in many European cities is a constant issue for travelers.—
Jillian Dara,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Inspired by real stories, Eva Marcille portrays a wife who miraculously cheats death after her husband’s (Tyler Lepley) betrayal in Pushed Off a Plane and Survived airing on February 28.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Blashill wants the Blackhawks to be a fast-pressure team at both ends of the rink, one that attacks vertically but never cheats for offense.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The new era During the crypto boom of 2021, entrepreneurs put forth lofty schemes to remake the internet with decentralized plumbing.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Classical bit commitment schemes are essential building blocks for all sorts of other methods in cryptography.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Once recruited, victims were allegedly forced to conduct romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investment schemes and other online frauds targeting victims abroad.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The frauds have grown nearly in lockstep with the growth of the industry.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
All this requires a lot of power, which puts a strain on the grid and squeezes local resources.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Instead, in order to protect their identities, their words are read aloud during re-enactments by powerhouse actresses such as Emma Thompson (who squeezes herself beneath an axle) and Kate Dickie (performing, as the nurse, on all fours on Kenmure Street itself).—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The researchers are hopeful that their work will help advance hydrovoltaic devices that can power battery-free devices using water, heat, and sunlight.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Feb. 2026
-
According to Google, its Pixel 9 and later devices, other than Pixel 9a, also have a satellite feature to use in emergencies when no other signal is available.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Of Iran’s many squandered possibilities, the waste of our soft power stings the most.—
Arash Azizi,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
-
This stings less thanks to the healthy variety of all-timers currently in the field.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
30 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Flimflams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flimflams. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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