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con⁴

(kŏn) Informal

tr.v. conned, con·ning, cons

1. To swindle (a victim) by first winning the victim's confidence; dupe: a criminal who conned an unsuspecting tourist out of $5,000.

2. To cause (someone) to do something by lying, misrepresentation, or trickery: My roommate conned me into washing the dishes.

A swindle.

adj.

Of, relating to, or involving a swindle or fraud: a con artist; a con job.

[Short for CONFIDENCE.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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