Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

flimflam

American  
[flim-flam] / ˈflɪmˌflæm /

noun

  1. a trick or deception, especially a swindle or confidence game involving skillful persuasion or clever manipulation of the victim.

  2. a piece of nonsense; twaddle; bosh.

verb (used with object)

flimflammed, flimflamming

  1. to trick, deceive, swindle, or cheat.

    A fortuneteller flimflammed her out of her savings.
flimflam British  
/ ˈflɪmˌflæm /

noun

    1. nonsense; foolishness

    2. ( as modifier )

      flimflam arguments

  2. a deception; swindle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to deceive; trick; swindle; cheat

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • flimflammer noun
  • flimflammery noun

Etymology

Origin of flimflam

First recorded in 1530–40; gradational compound of expressive origin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.