THREE-CARD MONTE Synonyms: 39 Similar Words

three-card monte

noun

Definition of three-card monte

as in thimblerig

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of three-card monte These characters are fluent in three-card monte rap, no cards required. — Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025 Smith, according to law enforcement, was basically playing three-card monte with wire transfers and bogus bank statements to help cover his high times and high-risk investments. — Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 8 June 2024 Booth, a street hustler, wants Lincoln to teach him three-card monte, a game Lincoln mastered before giving it up for a respectable, if demoralizing, job. — Imani Perry Janina Edwards Krish Seenivasan Devin Murphy, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024 Or can one side be played as a sucker during a game of three-card monte on the sidewalk outside the dingy bus terminal? — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2024 See All Example Sentences for three-card monte

Recent Examples of Synonyms for three-card monte

Noun

For the role, O’Connor had to develop his racket skills and a more muscular physique, splitting time between the tennis court and the gym.

— Nick Tabor, Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 July 2026
The height and position of the ball toss, the rotation of the server’s trunk, the movement of their shoulder and forearm, the angle of the racket face and the speed of the swing all provide clues about what is about to happen.

— Michelle Spear, Scientific American, 11 July 2026

Definition of racket

Noun

Among them was the founder of a major pyramid scheme that defrauded thousands of Colombians of their savings, as well as Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman with close ties to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was later extradited to the United States on money-laundering charges.

— John Otis, NPR, 21 June 2026
Attention online—which is to say, the modern entertainment industry at large—can look a bit like a pyramid scheme, with each lower layer trying to siphon a segment of audience away from the more famous one above.

— Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2026

Definition of pyramid scheme

Noun

My mother was conned twice — once by a Ponzi scheme, once by a diagnosis that dressed up as good health for too many years.

— Marissa Stapley, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
The Miami Herald has previously reported on how OneCoin was later investigated in multiple countries for perpetrating a Ponzi scheme worth $4 billion, $400 million of which Scott helped launder.

— Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026

Definition of Ponzi scheme

Noun

Upsize your jig trailers, go with a larger worm on your Texas rig, or tie on a full-size topwater plug.

— David A. Brown, Outdoor Life, 1 July 2026
But a freestyler’s sombrero flick starts with the ball on the floor and requires two touches with the same foot to get it up and over your head, including a little jig in between.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Definition of jig

Noun

Instead of communicating with the other operator to decide who will make the dodge, Starlink satellites automatically avoid other objects — both space debris fragments or operational satellites — whenever there is a conjunction alert.

— Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 15 July 2026
Florida has a new niche industry to help those who can afford it get out of dodge before a hurricane whirls ashore.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026

Definition of dodge

Noun

Photograph by Glen Wilson / Lionsgate Fuqua’s low-key approach is both a natural expression of his personality and a shrewd stratagem to reassure people around him that everything is under control.

— Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Through Elizabeth’s rise from servant to visionary who resisted Henry VIII’s break with the Roman Catholic Church to gain a divorce, Brown explores historical women’s stratagems for self-determination.

— Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2026

Definition of stratagem

Noun

In general, most experts agree that for a foreign vote-changing scheme to work, spooks would have to get physical access to the casting and counting systems used in thousands of different locations scattered around the country.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 17 July 2026
The scheme also aims to start environmental education activities in schools so that sharks will come to be seen as part of the region’s natural heritage.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 July 2026

Definition of scheme

Browse Nearby Words

threats

three-card monte

three-card montes

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“Three-card monte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/three-card%20monte. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of three-card monte

noun

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