con 1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈkän How to pronounce con (audio)
Definition of connext
as in prisoner
a person convicted as a criminal and serving a prison sentence a program to help ex-cons find employment

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con

2 of 4

noun (2)

as in scam
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value the explanation was so plausible that I never suspected it was all a con to make off with my car

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con

3 of 4

verb (1)

1
as in to study
to commit to memory usually candidates con their entire campaign speech, right down to the jokes they supposedly ad-lib

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to scan
to look over closely (as for judging quality or condition) seemed to be conning his face for any sign of uncertainty

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

con

4 of 4

verb (2)

1
as in to cheat
to rob by the use of trickery or threats a fly-by-night operator who had conned hundreds of would-be homeowners out of their hard-earned money

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2
as in to trick
to cause to believe what is untrue tried to con me into thinking that he had actually won the lottery

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 con
Noun
Today, two social security experts tell us the pros and cons. — Adrian Ma, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026 While those examples seem to be politically motivated, a lot of it is just con-artistry. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
However, Frank conned her out of a creator credit, leaving himself with sole writing credit. — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026 Both companies recently disclosed that their models hacked into external organizations, but in those instances there was no obvious attempt to con humans. — Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for con
Recent Examples of Synonyms for con
  1. prisoner
  2. scam
  3. study
  4. scan
  5. cheat
  6. trick
  7. convict
  8. learn
Noun
  • Constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment prohibit deliberate indifference to prisoners’ medical needs.
    — Jaquelyn Jahn, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Offering the Black Panther salute in tribute to the six Black prisoners found dead at Attica Prison, during the funeral held in Brooklyn.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of prisoner
Noun
  • Authorities also obtained assistance from multiple banks and reviewed security camera footage, financial records and body camera footage from previous investigations involving similar scams.
    — Sergio Candido, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Location information can also make a scam call more convincing.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of scam
Verb
  • Animators studied ostriches before feeding their digital movement curves into a six-axis mechanical rig carrying the performers.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The team also studied 151 white dwarfs located within about 65 light-years (20 parsecs) from Earth.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of study
Verb
  • The decision to set that tone staggering through all 10 minutes of the extended cut might scan as raw inspiration, placing Spacemen 3 on a narrow band from La Monte Young and Terry Riley to some brilliant dro)))ne future.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The companies have also incorporated Wraith Shield, a waveform designed to scan radio-frequency spectrum and identify threats.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of scan
Verb
  • For example, if a model figures out a way to cheat to win a game, but the human running the training doesn’t spot the cheating, then the model will learn to cheat.
    — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.
    — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheat
Verb
  • Those conducting the online scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals -- many Chinese -- tricked themselves into work and held in prison-like compounds.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But a few times in recent years, Hollins, a veterinarian, tricked Jonathan and slid a cotton swab into the giant tortoise’s mouth to get a saliva sample.
    — Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of trick
Noun
  • After a career spent playing convicts and criminals, the opportunity was appealing to Trejo.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026
  • One of the men, the leader, held up the convict’s hand and wheeled around to show it off.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of convict
Verb
  • Dazzle, the new venture, is a personal AI assistant that learns from the photos on a user’s phone, said Mayer.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Rilke writes about solitude, love, patience and learning to live with uncertainty.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of learn

Phrases Containing con

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Comstockery
con
concatenate
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Cite this Entry

“Con.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/con. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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