confidence man

American  

[kon-fi-duhns man] / ˈkɒn fɪ dəns ˌmæn /

Informal, con man,

noun

1. a person who swindles others by means of a confidence game; swindler.

---

confidence man British  

noun

1. another name for con man

---

Etymology

Origin of confidence man

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

Prosecutors, though, said Tunstall’s behavior was “tantamount to the historic traveling confidence man, pitching a shingle in a new community until discovery, and then moving on to engage in similar fraudulent conduct.”

From Seattle Times

The definitive account of the confidence man Haberman portrays is decades away.

From Los Angeles Times

And Dr. Ike, as he was known, is a charismatic and especially dangerous type of confidence man because he has a medical degree.

From Salon

“He is a kind of confidence man, preying on people’s vanity, ignorance or loneliness, gaining their trust and betraying them without remorse.”

From Washington Post

One thing a confidence man must have is confidence, as can be seen in today’s game between two strong German masters taken from Smerdon’s book.

From Washington Times