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
-
On March 24, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to approve a proposal by Chair Terra Lawson-Remer to create the Consumer Fairness and Public Protection Unit, charged with fighting scams and unfair business practices.—
Adam Summers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Unlike other crimes that use hacking or social engineering scams to access victims’ funds remotely, wrench attacks rely on more brutish methods of coercion like kidnapping and torture.—
Megan Cassidy,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 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
-
Over the past decade, United States Attorney’s Offices in New York City, Boston and Philadelphia have charged dozens of individuals in corruption and fraud schemes involving college coaches, players and athletic department personnel.—
Robert L. Boone,
Sportico.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The company described cargo theft as a growing issue marked by increasing sophistication in the schemes used by criminals.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There are some elite frauds going on in the sports world right now.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
That will weed out the frauds, freeloaders and slumlords.—
Scott Ostler,
San Francisco Chronicle,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The pencil-thin DQ Tower squeezes a full home into a very slender footprint, while the EONE XL takes a wider prefab approach to the same basic challenge.—
Stefan Ionescu
March 30,
New Atlas,
30 Mar. 2026
-
There’s no end to the war in sight after one month as Iran squeezes the global economy.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
During the Apollo missions, astronauts used urine collection and transfer devices, as well as plastic bags taped to the buttocks to collect feces.—
ByMary Kekatos,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Our bill will ban the federal government from buying and operating these devices made in countries that wish us harm.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The team had the best record in the major leagues as recently as June 13 of last season before collapsing and missing the postseason — a collapse that still stings for fans.—
Ryan Brennan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Mar. 2026
-
And that’s the part that stings.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Flimflams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flimflams. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
