confidence man

[ kon-fi-duhns man ]
See synonyms for confidence man on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who swindles others by means of a confidence game; swindler.

Origin of confidence man

1
An Americanism dating back to 1840–50
  • Also Informal, con man, con·man [kon-man] /ˈkɒnˌmæn/ .

Words Nearby confidence man

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use confidence man in a sentence

  • No, certainly, he was not a confidence man—even if he was, I would rather welcome the adventure.

    The Holladay Case | Burton E. Stevenson
  • When he had finished he lighted a long black cigar from a box that had been sent him by a world famous confidence man.

    Little Lost Sister | Virginia Brooks
  • The confidence-man—for Tom had fully decided that such he was—seemed disappointed.

    Left End Edwards | Ralph Henry Barbour

British Dictionary definitions for confidence man

confidence man

noun
  1. another name for con man

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012