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
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
Noun
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The New York Colored American reported that some offers of short-term work for Black men — moving livestock to or from Kentucky, for example — were ruses that ended with kidnappings.—
Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
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Many suspect a spam call and don't pick up the phone, leading foundation staff to sometimes devise ruses.—
Noun
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Trailer Park Boys is a faux documentary about three petty criminals running scams from their Halifax trailer park and streams on Netflix.—
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Online scams thrive when people stay silent, but sharing stories like Joe's helps others stay alert.—
Verb
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Blashill wants the Blackhawks to be a fast-pressure team at both ends of the rink, one that attacks vertically but never cheats for offense.—
Noun
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The 40-year-old cooks up ways to make quarterbacks miserable in his sleep, devising schemes that are meant to lure as much as they are intended to confuse.—
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More than 90 people, most with ties to the state’s Somali community, have been charged in fraud schemes targeting social services.—
Noun
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Satire is brilliant for exposing the folly of humans, especially those in power and those working in bad faith—the hypocrites and the frauds—and can be particularly potent when set in irrational or dystopic times.—
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Notice how these two Third World frauds are in federal custody, not state.—
Verb
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As the moon follows an elliptical path, Saturn’s gravity stretches and squeezes it.—
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View gallery - 12 images This recently completed tiny house squeezes a lot of living space into a compact footprint using clever design.—
Noun
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Samsung says the sensor targets users who want professional-grade imaging from mobile devices.—
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Speaking to gadgets is often faster than typing, but Amazon and Nirva also see their devices as another means to gather data that can provide insights about a user’s life, though doing so will surely raise privacy concerns.—
Verb
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Even though the defeat stings, all the Hurricanes’ goals are still there for the taking.—
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But for Hovland, the lingering frustration of missing Sunday singles and watching Harris English sit out for no fault of his own still stings.—
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Cite this Entry
“Flimflams.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flimflams. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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