as in scam
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value
it's amazing how intelligent people fall for that investment-fund shell game
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Recent Examples of shell game
The grand jury’s focus was the shell game played with $10 million that rightfully belonged to the Florida Medicaid program.
—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
Expedia played a shell game with your money, wasted your time with useless chatbots and ignored paper trails.
—Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
Budget shell games, in other words.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Despite the political shell games being played by liberal Democrats, the media and even some Republicans, much of President Trump’s policy agenda has broad public support and is largely on track to succeed if enacted.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shell game
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
Expedia played a shell game with your money, wasted your time with useless chatbots and ignored paper trails.
—Christopher Elliott, Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2026
Budget shell games, in other words.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 21 Oct. 2025
Despite the political shell games being played by liberal Democrats, the media and even some Republicans, much of President Trump’s policy agenda has broad public support and is largely on track to succeed if enacted.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shell game
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shell game
scam
Noun
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An alleged $20 million insurance scam on Mount Everest saw climbers subjected to staged rescues and admitted to hospitals across Kathmandu in a scheme to fraudulently claim insurance money, Nepali authorities say.—
Manish Paudel,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
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Shah served less than three years of her 6½-year sentence after pleading guilty in July 2022 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a nationwide investment scam that targeted mostly elderly, vulnerable women.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shell game.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shell%20game. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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