as in cheating
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
had the feeling that I had just been thimblerigged by the sweetest-looking old lady
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thimblerigging
Verb
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There was a time in sports — and in life — when the worst thing you could be accused of was cheating.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Jan. 2026 -
Medal reallocations have historically surfaced after doping or other cheating cases, but Chiles’ dispute centered on an apparent error by the International Gymnastics Federation, the sport’s governing body.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The solar sector has been grappling with a prolonged price slump and oversupply, squeezing margins even as leading producers continue to add capacity.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
4 Feb. 2026
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For generations, Americans who wanted orange juice without the work of squeezing fresh fruit cracked open a can and watched a cylinder of frozen juice go ker-plunk into a pitcher.—
Dee-Ann Durbin,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Or plucking Tater Tots straight off the baking sheet and then wiping your hands on your pants.—
Alyssa Brandt,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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Caitlin Looby Last August, Lauren Isbell dove around Mott Island Dock at Isle Royale National Park, plucking invasive zebra mussels from the lakebed – sometimes with her fingers, other times with a credit-card sized piece of plastic attached to a lanyard on her wrist.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Nedeljkovic could be back in net Saturday afternoon when the Sharks (27-21-4) play the Calgary Flames (21-26-6), hoping to bounce back from a stinging 4-3 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
30 Jan. 2026
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Luhmann, who traveled from Illinois to Minnesota to document the immigration enforcement surge, said his hands were stinging from the different smoke bombs and pepper sprays deployed that day.—
Minneapolis Star Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If out of work, hustling this week and next could open doors.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
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Students were hustling around campus, coming and going on the penultimate Saturday of the semester.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Game director Cary Trzcinski made sure emotions did not boil over and lead to a melee, sticking his thick body and fierce game face into one brewing moment in the second half.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
1 Feb. 2026
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Spray the rack with cooking spray to keep food from sticking.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Point Loma Nazarene’s women’s basketball team improved to 14-4 and climbed back on top of the PacWest Conference standings with a 10-2 mark after beating Azusa Pacific (80-55) and contender Vanguard (59-57) last week.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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In the final, Black & Alshon threw down the gauntlet, beating the top pair in three straight for gold.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Cattano suggests screwing mug hooks into the bottom of kitchen cabinets to utilize that space between the cupboards and the countertops.—
Bridget Reed Morawski,
Architectural Digest,
7 Jan. 2026
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That’s because the president doesn’t care about screwing people.—
Alexander Bolton,
The Hill,
29 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Thimblerigging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thimblerigging. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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