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

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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
  • There’s a delightful secret history of Hollywood directors whose ruses and stratagems bought them an unusual amount of leeway with their scripts.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
  • 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
Definition of ruses
Noun
  • The Islamophobic baiting scams identified by researchers operate in the overlapping spheres of right-wing politics, cryptocurrency and conspiratorial belief.
    — Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2026
  • That's why one of the best ways to avoid holiday shopping scams is to verify unexpected messages through a company's official website or app rather than responding directly.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of scams
Verb
  • The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.
    — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of cheats
Noun
  • Sometimes, behind closed doors, players would complain that his schemes were too complicated.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2026
  • After the news broke, it was revealed that Savannah’s fiancé is Jason Galanis, who was sentenced to 189 months in prison in September 2020 for multiple securities fraud schemes.
    — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of schemes
Noun
  • Only once the Buffs emptied offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s playbook, there was nothing left to fire at McGuire’s frauds.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026
  • In my phishing protection test, Avira successfully detected and defeated 100% of real-world phishing frauds.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of frauds
Verb
  • George pounds, folds, and squeezes the dough as Minicuci watches.
    — HubSpot, HubSpot, 30 Oct. 2026
  • When the user presses their finger on the part of the patch that contains the wet fabric, the pressure squeezes the water out of the material, down one of the microfluidic channels, and into the foaming agent chamber.
    — Ben Coxworth October 23, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeezes
Noun
  • The highly customizable shapes enable applications ranging from drug delivery systems to energy storage devices.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2026
  • That includes implementing basic but effective cybersecurity measures such as making sure devices are up to date, limiting administrator access to systems and backing up important files and data, the NCSC said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of devices
Verb
  • Clement famously tried to get the Supreme Court to overturn President Obama's signature health care law, a loss that still stings.
    — Carrie Johnson, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026
  • General Mills spun off Darden Restaurants in 1995, and then Darden sold Red Lobster in 2014, in a deal with the private equity firm Golden Gate Capital that still stings many veterans to this day.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 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
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Cite this Entry

“Flimflams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flimflams. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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