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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Numerous high-profile accounts have been hijacked to promote crypto scams, including one of OpenAI's unofficial accounts in late 2024.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
7 Sep. 2025
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This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shell game.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shell%20game. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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