flimflams 1 of 2

noun

plural of flimflam
1
as in ruses
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end giving the new guy at work her cell phone number—"in case of an emergency"—was just a flimflam to pique his romantic interest

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in scams
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value just the latest Internet flimflam to get e-mail recipients to reveal bank account numbers and other personal information

Synonyms & Similar Words

flimflams

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of flimflam
as in cheats
to rob by the use of trickery or threats everyone likes to think that they're too smart to be flimflammed by anyone

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flimflams
  1. ruses
  2. scams
  3. cheats
  4. schemes
  5. frauds
  6. squeezes
  7. devices
  8. stings
Noun
  • There’s a delightful secret history of Hollywood directors whose ruses and stratagems bought them an unusual amount of leeway with their scripts.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2026
  • Even before pro-party AI ruses were possible, the Chinese government and its supporters flooded social media with pro-China propaganda and vicious attacks on critics.
    — Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Definition of ruses
Noun
  • According to Harris' office, Harris and Steckloff worked together on the bipartisan legislation after hearing increasing concerns about gift card scams affecting consumers across Michigan.
    — Karma Sabbah, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Take the quiz here … LISTEN Tune in to learn how AI-powered voice and image cloning are fueling increasingly sophisticated scams and costing Americans billions.
    — , FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of scams
Verb
  • Any forward who cheats for defence, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has for much of his career, will play an elevated role on a Babcock team.
    — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • Though Lesnar rarely cheats to win, Femi isn’t going to lose clean.
    — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Definition of cheats
Noun
  • Curious schemes, plus bad tackling, contributed to a unit that was poor against the pass, and worse against the run.
    — Mac Engel October 4, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Other schemes are more direct—like a new version of the Nigerian prince scam that uses celebrity deepfakes.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of schemes
Noun
  • In my phishing protection test, Avira successfully detected and defeated 100% of real-world phishing frauds.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
  • These frauds hate Sweeney because of some MAGA hat at a party like four years ago.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of frauds
Verb
  • That wrestling match itself, however, makes for compelling theater about as often as the camel squeezes through the needle.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The jobs market has been resilient even as stubbornly high inflation squeezes businesses and households.
    — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of squeezes
Noun
  • Investigators are still combing through the suspects' cellphones, dashboard cameras and other devices for clues about potential links to Iran.
    — Steve Hendrix, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s latest startup Prometheus is using AI to assist engineers in the design and manufacturing of a range of devices—from computers to automobiles to jet engines.
    — Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of devices
Verb
  • General Mills spun off Darden Restaurants in 1995, and then Darden sold Red Lobster in 2014, in a deal with the private equity firm Golden Gate Capital that still stings many veterans to this day.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The pain of losing Hollywood actor Heath Ledger nearly 20 years ago still stings for his on-screen Dark Knight family.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of stings
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.

Browse Nearby Words

flimflamming
flimflams
flimsiness
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Cite this Entry

“Flimflams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flimflams. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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