as in scam
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value
it's amazing how intelligent people fall for that investment-fund shell game
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Recent Examples of shell game
Trump lawyers are 'throwing spaghetti against the wall' or are playing a 'shell game' to see what legal strategies work to defend his policies in court battles, experts say.
—
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 18 May 2025
The law is getting in the way of this shell game—for now.
—Karen Tumlin, Time, 6 May 2025
To demonstrate that point in a video, a researcher told a robot arm to put a bunch of plastic grapes into a clear Tupperware container, then proceeded to shift three containers around on the table in an approximation of a shyster’s shell game.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2025
Because Florida officials knew the insurance companies were playing this financial shell game years ago.
—Scott Maxwell, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shell game
Bart Jansen, USA Today, 18 May 2025
The law is getting in the way of this shell game—for now.
—Karen Tumlin, Time, 6 May 2025
To demonstrate that point in a video, a researcher told a robot arm to put a bunch of plastic grapes into a clear Tupperware container, then proceeded to shift three containers around on the table in an approximation of a shyster’s shell game.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2025
Because Florida officials knew the insurance companies were playing this financial shell game years ago.
—Scott Maxwell, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shell game
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shell game
scam
Noun
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Monroe now hopes that sharing her family's story will keep others from falling victim to this and other similar scams.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
20 July 2025
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Some robocalls sound more and more realistic as technology progresses and can cause someone to fall victim to a scam.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shell game.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shell%20game. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.
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