Con
/kɑn/
nounverbB2
Definition
As a verb, "con" means to trick or fool someone by lying or cheating, usually to gain money or something valuable. As a noun, it refers to the act of tricking (a confidence trick) or the person who does the trick (a con artist). It often involves pretending to be honest or trustworthy to make the other person believe and lose.
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⚡ See It in Action
Verb: To trick or deceive someone
- •He conned the old lady out of her savings.
- •They conned tourists by selling fake tickets.
- •Don't let anyone con you with false promises.
Noun: A trick or the person who tricks others
- •The con was so convincing that many people lost money.
- •Police arrested a famous con artist yesterday.
- •Watch out for cons pretending to be helpful.
🧲 Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "con" like "trick" (A1 word), but more serious and with the goal to get money or something important
- ✓Picture a person smiling kindly but secretly planning to steal your money by lying
- ✓It's the feeling when you realize someone has lied to you to get something from you unfairly
- ✓Sounds like "con" → imagine a "cone" that covers your eyes so you can't see the truth
- ✓In stories or movies, a "con artist" is a clever person who uses lies to fool others, like a thief in a suit
- ✓NOT like "joke" (which is funny and harmless), "con" is serious and dishonest
- ✓NOT like "scam" (which is similar), but "con" often involves personal skill and acting to win trust
- ✓NOT like "cheat" (which can be in games or school), "con" is more about tricking people in real life for gain
🔄 Try Other Words
- •Scam: a dishonest plan to cheat people (Use when talking about illegal or large-scale cheating)
- •Deceive: to make someone believe something false (Use when focusing on the act of lying rather than the plan)
- •Cheat: to act dishonestly to gain advantage (Use in games, tests, or simple dishonest acts)
- •Swindle: to cheat someone out of money or property (Use when emphasizing stealing money by cheating)
🔍 Unboxing
- •"con" is a short form of "confidence" in "confidence trick"
- •From "confidence trick," meaning a trick that uses trust or confidence to fool someone
- •Used since early 1900s to describe a type of fraud where trust is gained before cheating
- •Commonly used to describe dishonest acts where people are fooled to give money or information
💭 Reflect & Connect
•How can you protect yourself from being conned in everyday life?
•Why do you think some people choose to con others instead of earning honestly?
Fill in the blanks with the correct word:
1.He was able to con the buyer by pretending the car was ___ in perfect condition.
2.When someone tries to con you, they often use ___ to make you trust them.
3.A con artist is different from a simple thief because they use ___ to get what they want.
4.People who con others usually feel ___ about their actions, even if they hide it.
5.The best way to avoid a con is to ___ all the information carefully before trusting.
6.Unlike a joke, a con is meant to ___ someone and take their money or things.
7.After the con, the victim felt ___ and found it hard to trust people again.