noun

con

kon

noun

A dishonest scheme designed to trick someone, usually to take their money.

"The whole investment offer turned out to be a con."

"He fell for a con and lost his savings."

A disadvantage of something, especially when weighed against its benefits.

"Every job has its pros and cons."

(informal) A convicted criminal.

"The film follows an ex-con trying to go straight."

A large organized gathering for fans of a hobby or genre, such as comics or gaming.

"They dressed up as their favorite characters for the con."

verb

To trick or cheat someone, typically for personal gain.

"She conned an elderly couple out of thousands of pounds."

How to Use Con

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost commonly, either a scam meant to cheat someone, or the downside of something (as in "pros and cons"); also slang for a convict or a fan convention.

Common mistake

Don't confuse this "con" (scam/downside) with the unrelated older verb "con" meaning to study carefully — they look identical but come from different origins.

Common pairings

pull a con con artist pros and cons sci-fi con

Word Forms

conned past tense, conned past tense, cons plural, cons plural, cons plural, cons plural, cons plural, cons plural, cons plural, cons singular, cons singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The whole investment offer turned out to be a _____.

Etymology

The "trick" and "convict" senses are shortened forms of confidence (as in "confidence trick") and convict. The older verb sense meaning "to study closely" comes from Old English cunnan, "to know" — the same root as "can."

Antonyms

pro

Related Words

prostitute pro athlete anti contra

Rhymes for con

icon bacon Macon recon falcon beacon deacon DEFCON silicon lexicon Rubicon archdeacon

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