1
as in ruse
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
Relevance
2
as in scam
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
as in to cheat
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
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Recent Examples of flimflam
Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 17 Jan. 2024
This is the language of partisan flimflam, not sober healthcare policymaking.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2022
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for flimflam
Noun
The flimflams continue, even in Walmart’s home state of Arkansas.
—Craig Silverman, ProPublica, 17 Jan. 2024
This is the language of partisan flimflam, not sober healthcare policymaking.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2022
Verb
But liars like Kari Lake, who lost a bid for Arizona governor by parroting former President Trump’s falsehoods and hopes now to flimflam her way to a Senate seat, are only the most visible threat to our system of democracy.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023
See All Example Sentences for flimflam
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flimflam
Noun
-
They are accused of using several ruses to force their way into people’s homes, assaulting unsuspecting residents and holding them hostage for their own money, and demanding access to their crypto accounts.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
To sustain her ruse, Suzanne discovers volumes of diaries written by the painter’s late wife.—
Ben Croll,
IndieWire,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
But his eventual unraveling included accusations of misappropriated funds, his resignation, a bizarre alleged suicide-for-hire and insurance scam plot, a stint in rehab for drug addiction, dozens of financial crimes, his disbarment and, ultimately, the murder charges.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
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According to court documents, Yves Bouvier purchased the work for $60 million privately from Sotheby’s, then sold it to Dmitry Rybolovlev for $85 million, part of the series of markups that constituted the alleged scam.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
15 May 2026
Verb
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But a subtler disruption is occurring underneath the cheating concerns and efficiency metrics.—
Shannon McKeen,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
-
Saints tried to cheat to get the win, but referee Charles Robinson caught him and stopped his count.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Scott said Williamson never spoke directly with Becerra about the scheme.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
-
Quantum threats target the mathematical structure of encryption schemes like RSA and ECC; vaulted tokenization removes that target by decoupling data from its representation.—
Ed Leavens,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The appeals court that ordered a trial court to reconsider Peters' sentence said the trial judge's consideration of her belief in the existence of 2020 election fraud went beyond what was relevant to sentencing her.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
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Dana Williamson, former top aide to Newsom, pleaded guilty in an FBI corruption probe to bank fraud, filing a false tax return and lying to the FBI.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Napoleon Solo hustled to first place at the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, coming out on top against 13 other horses in what is the race's biggest field in 15 years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 May 2026
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Related Stories Laird plays Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, a daughter of the lower-middle classes who uses her skills as a portrait painter to hustle her way into the royal court of Versailles.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Winston makes a cameo to execute another electric Ford Field trick play, and the Giants lose a close one with their offense starting to find a new gear.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
-
Sophisticated as chatbots’ responses may be, they are stitched together from statistical patterns in large datasets—an impressive trick but one that still falls short of the breadth and reliability in human-level clinical reasoning.—
Cody Cottier,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Despite Philadelphia winning 45 games this season, despite the Sixers improving dramatically on last season, and despite Philly winning a first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, the loss to New York will still sting, as Philadelphia heads into the summer.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
-
Now owned by the National Gallery in London, the painting, showing Roman god Cupid complaining to his mother Venus about being stung by bees, can be seen in the center of a blurry, black-and-white photograph dating to the 1940s that was published in a 1978 furniture catalog.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Flimflam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flimflam. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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