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

These weren't what the school provided us, except for the tennis balls themselves, but everything else — the rackets, the shoes, the ball machine, the bags, even the leaf blower — all of those things were fundraised by the kids.

— Carmela Karcher, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
And Jim Payne, the same friend who’d helped Alex and Geddy buy tennis rackets that afternoon in Monroe, eventually joined Better Than Ezra.

— Kevin Griffin, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 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

Summary Todd Burkhalter, CEO of Drive Planning LLC, received a 20-year prison sentence for orchestrating Georgia's largest Ponzi scheme, defrauding over 2,000 investors of $380 million.

— Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
According to details provided at the press conference, hundreds of people fell victim to what Runyan called a Ponzi scheme.

— Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of Ponzi scheme

Noun

Waggling the controller for light and heavy attacks while pressing the buttons to parry, blow, and dodge reminded me of the motion-control scheme Capcom implemented for Street Fighter 6's Switch 2 port.

— Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 6 Aug. 2026
While the fuel-oil tax-dodge is a relatively recent phenomenon, purloined Mexican fuel, known simply as huachicol, has circulated for decades.

— Foreign Correspondent, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of dodge

Noun

There’s a delightful secret history of Hollywood directors whose ruses and stratagems bought them an unusual amount of leeway with their scripts.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 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

Apple's AirTag is among the popular devices that help people find their keys or other items.

— Nicholas Lentz, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
While only about 30% of bikes ridden by Bay Area children are electric, only 12% of those devices fell into one of the three e-bike categories.

— Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of device

Noun

Organized crime operations from several cities, including Chicago, New York and Detroit, had established control of casinos up and down the Vegas Strip and devised schemes to skim percentages of the cash under the noses of state regulators.

— Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
With Clark next to him in the 3-4 scheme, Williams flashed his strength and short-area quickness from the defensive interior each day in practice while battling against Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker.

— Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of scheme

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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 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of three-card monte

noun

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