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con

 - 27 dictionary results

con

1  [kon]
–adverb
1. against a proposition, opinion, etc.: arguments pro and con.
–noun
2. the argument, position, arguer, or voter against something.
Use con in a Sentence
Compare pro 1 .

Origin:
1575–85; short for L contrā in opposition, against

con

2  [kon]
–verb (used with object), conned, con⋅ning.
1. to learn; study; peruse or examine carefully.
2. to commit to memory.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME cunnen, OE cunnan var. of can 1 in sense “become acquainted with, learn to know”

con

3  [kon] verb, conned, con⋅ning, noun Nautical
–verb (used with object)
1. to direct the steering of (a ship).
–noun
2. the station of the person who cons.
3. the act of conning.
Also, conn.

Origin:
1350–1400; earlier cond, apocopated var. of ME condie, condue < MF cond(u)ire < L condūcere to conduct

con

4  [kon] adjective, verb, conned, con⋅ning, noun Informal.
–adjective
1. involving abuse of confidence: a con trick.
–verb (used with object)
2. to swindle; trick: That crook conned me out of all my savings.
3. to persuade by deception, cajolery, etc.
–noun
4. a confidence game or swindle.
5. a lie, exaggeration, or glib self-serving talk: He had a dozen different cons for getting out of paying traffic tickets.
Origin:
1895–1900, Americanism; by shortening of confidence

con

5  [kon]
–noun Slang.
a convict.
Origin:
1715–25; by shortening

con

6  [kon]
–verb (used with object), conned, con⋅ning. British Dialect.
1. to strike, hit, or rap (something or someone).
2. to hammer (a nail or peg).
3. to beat or thrash a person with the hands or a weapon.
Origin:
1890–95; perh. akin to F cognée hatchet, cogner to knock in, drive (a nail) home

con-

 
var. of com- before a consonant (except b, h, l, p, r) and, by assimilation, before n: convene; condone; connection.
Origin:
< L

Con.

 
1. Conformist.
2. Consul.

con.

 
1. concerto.
2. conclusion.
3. connection.
4. consolidated.
5. consul.
6. continued.
7. against.
Origin:
< L contrā

com-

 
a prefix meaning “with,” “together,” “in association,” and (with intensive force) “completely,” occurring in loanwords from Latin (commit): used in the formation of compound words before b, p, m: combine; compare; commingle.
Also, co-, col-, con-, cor-.

Origin:
< L, var. of prep. cum with
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To con
con 1   (kŏn)   
adv.  In opposition or disagreement; against: debated the issue pro and con.
n.  

  1. An argument or opinion against something.

  2. One who holds an opposing opinion or view.


[Short for contra.]
con 2   (kŏn)   
tr.v.   conned, con·ning, cons

  1. To study, peruse, or examine carefully.

  2. To learn or commit to memory.


[Middle English connen, to know, from Old English cunnan; see gnō- in Indo-European roots.]
con'ner n.
con 3 or conn   (kŏn)   
tr.v.   conned, con·ning, cons or conns
To direct the steering or course of (a vessel).
n.  

  1. The station or post of the person who steers a vessel.

  2. The act or process of steering a vessel.


[From cond, from Middle English conduen, from Old French conduire, from Latin condūcere, to lead together; see conduce.]
con 4   (kŏn)   
tr.v.   conned, con·ning, cons
To swindle (a victim) by first winning his or her confidence; dupe.
n.  A swindle.
adj.  Of, relating to, or involving a swindle or fraud: a con artist; a con job.

[Short for confidence.]
con 5   (kŏn)   
n.   Slang
A convict.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
con

  1. n.
    a convict. : Is that guy in the gray pajamas one of the escaped cons?
  2. n.
    a confidence scheme. : They pulled a real con on the old lady.
  3. tv.
    to swindle or deceive someone. : Don't try to con me. I know the score.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

com- 
from L., archaic form of classical L. cum "together, together with, in combination," the prefix sometimes used as an intensive, from PIE *kom- "beside, near, by, with" (cf. O.E. ge-, Ger. ge-).

con- 
see com-.

con  (1)
"negation" (mainly in pro and con), 1572, short for L. contra "against."

con  (2)
"study," from O.E. cunnan "to know, know how" (see can (v.)).

con  (3)
"swindle," 1889, Amer.Eng., from confidence man (1849), from the many scams in which the victim is induced to hand over money as a token of confidence. Confidence with a sense of "assurance based on insufficient grounds" dates from 1594.

con  (4)
"to guide ships," 1626, from Fr. conduire, from L. conducere (see conduce).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

com- or col- or con-
pref.
Together; with; joint; jointly: commensalism.

con- pref.
Variant of com-.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Computing Dictionary

con
[SF fandom] A science-fiction convention. Not used of other sorts of conventions, such as professional meetings. This term, unlike many others of SF-fan slang, is widely recognised even by hackers who aren't fans. "We'd been corresponding on the net for months, then we met face-to-face at a con."
[The Jargon File]

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
con

  1. confidence game

  2. convict

CON
certificate of need
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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