Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to con someone

to con someone

1 7.7
To trick someone to get their money
  • phrasal verb
  • /kɒn ˈsʌmwʌn/
  • Slang
: engañar

The smirk of someone who just conned someone into giving them money.

Examples

  • The smirk of someone who just conned someone into giving them money.

    Dr. Phil

  • Many women from blue-collar backgrounds fear being found out: being discovered as less than who they pretend to be or that they conned someone into giving them a position they do not "really" deserve (Gardner, 1993; Tokarczyk & Fay, 1993).

    Academic text (1995)

  • He tried to con me into paying for his dinner by pretending he left his wallet behind.

  • It's easy to con people over the internet when they trust you too quickly.

  • The scam artist managed to con several citizens out of their savings by promising them fake investments.

Synonyms

to fool
vsto con someone
545 2.1

To trick someone into believing something that is not true

is the deliberate act aimed specifically at personal benefit
to trick
vsto con someone
289 3.5

To make someone believe something false so you can get what you want

focuses more on personal gain rather than general misdirection
to deceive
vsto con someone
229 3.9

To make someone believe something that is not true to get an advantage

is specifically aimed at tricking for personal benefit rather than any deceit
to con
vsto con someone
  • Informal
81 7.3

To trick someone into giving their money or things

is broader, covering deception for any personal advantage
to delude
vsto con someone
73 6.3

Make someone believe something that is not true

stresses the motive of personal gain rather than general misleading
to scam
vsto con someone
  • NSFW
62 3.9

To trick someone into giving money or their things

is the basic act of tricking someone for personal benefit
to dupe
vsto con someone
57 6.4

To trick someone into believing something false

adds the specific aim of personal gain to that deception
to defraud
vsto con someone
  • Formal
38 6.9

To illegally get money or things from someone by lying

can be unlawful but also includes noncriminal deceit for gain
to swindle
vsto con someone
25 5.5

To cheat someone and take their money by lying

covers deceiving for any personal gain, not only money or property
to bamboozle
vsto con someone
  • Informal
12 8.3

To trick someone by pretending you want to help them

is the simpler idea of deceiving for personal gain without flair
to play (someone) for a fool
vsto con someone
  • Offensive
8 7.4

Treat someone as stupid to trick or cheat them

is broader, not focused on the target's perceived intelligence
to con out of
vsto con someone
  • Slang
7 8.1

To trick someone into giving you their money or other things

is the general act of deceiving someone for personal gain
to sucker
vsto con someone
  • Informal
6 6.0

To trick someone into doing something

often focuses on obtaining goods or money rather than actions
to fool everyone
vsto con someone
6 3.9

To make all the people believe something that is not true

can apply to deceiving one person or many, not only everyone
to try to scam
vsto con someone
  • Informal
6 5.8

Attempt to trick someone and take their money

can be successful deception, not only an attempted action
to pull a fast one on
vsto con someone
  • Informal
6 8.1

To trick someone to gain an advantage

is the general deceptive action, not only quick or sneaky tricks
to put one over
vsto con someone
  • Informal
4 7.8

To make someone believe something that is not true

also covers attempts and not only successful outcomes
to flim-flam
vsto con someone
  • Archaic
3 9.5

To trick someone by using clever talk

is the basic act of deceiving someone for personal benefit
to play false
vsto con someone
2 8.1

To trick someone who trusts you by hiding your real plans to get something for yourself

is straightforward deceit for personal gain without hidden pretence
to cozen
vsto con someone
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To trick someone to get their money or things

is the plain act of deceiving someone for personal advantage
to chouse
vsto con someone
9.9

To trick someone and take their money or things

describes the same dishonest aim but without the exact tactics
to put one past
vsto con someone
  • UK
8.3

To trick someone into believing something false

includes both successful and attempted acts of deception for gain
to fleeche
vsto con someone
  • Archaic
9.9

To trick someone to take their money or goods

is the modern, general term for deceiving someone to gain advantage

How Deceptive

to defraud
  • Formal
38 6.9
to swindle
25 5.5
to con someone
  • Slang
1 7.7
to dupe
57 6.4
to trick
289 3.5

Surface Forms

con someone infinitive
conning someone present participle
cons someone third person singular
conned someone past
conned someone past participle

Morphology

con + someone

The verb 'con' already carries the meaning 'to swindle' and adding the pronoun 'someone' simply specifies the target of that action, so a learner who knows both words can directly infer 'to deceive or trick a person'. This is a straightforward verb + object composition (not idiomatic or metaphorical) and follows common cross-linguistic patterns, making it transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

The verb con someone comes from con, short for the old 'confidence' trick where a person wins someone's trust by acting friendly and honest. By getting that trust, the person could then steal or cheat, so con someone came to mean 'to deceive or trick someone'.