CONNING Synonyms: 187 Similar and Opposite Words

conning 1 of 3

verb (1)

present participle of con

as in studying

to commit to memory usually candidates con their entire campaign speech, right down to the jokes they supposedly ad-lib

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in examining

to look over closely (as for judging quality or condition) seemed to be conning his face for any sign of uncertainty

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

conning

2 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of con

as in cheating

to rob by the use of trickery or threats a fly-by-night operator who had conned hundreds of would-be homeowners out of their hard-earned money

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in tricking

to cause to believe what is untrue tried to con me into thinking that he had actually won the lottery

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

conning

3 of 3

verb (3)

present participle of conn

as in steering

to operate or control the course of there was white-knuckle tension as the captain conned the gunboat through the mine-infested harbor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of conning

Verb

There was at least one other incident in which Bustillo is accused of conning a player out of $4,000. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026 Looking to turn the tables, 80-year-old Poppy Montgomery launches a mission to defraud the fraudsters conning the elderly online. — Diya Chacko, Oc Register, 18 May 2026 How to get out of an awkward situation in order to avoid booking that plane ticket back to New York, where nothing much awaits her, after conning her way into a stranger’s home? — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 2026 Often these are aimed at either conning applicants into paying up-front fees or providing personal information that the scammers later use to gain access to credit in the victim’s name. — Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026 Their father, my grandfather, was a career low-life criminal and was in jail all the time for forgery and conning people. — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2025 Officials allege that Bester bribed several prison employees into helping with his escape plan, including conning his way into an isolation cell that was located near a fire escape and in an area with limited cameras, per the docuseries, NBC News and GroundUp. — Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for conning

Verb

Tan-Gillespie eventually became the first in her family to attend college, studying business at the University of Plymouth and graduating in 1996.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Researchers like us have spent years studying treatment and harm reduction, a field with a wealth of data, including insurance claims.

— J. Travis Donahoe, STAT, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of studying

Verb

The recurring shape adds another detail for researchers examining reports of unexplained objects near restricted locations.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin said regulators were examining whether the IPO would require a review under the country's rules designed to protect minority shareholders.

— Jenny Lee, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of examining

Verb

With all respect to West’s previous cheating-on-television canon, War might be his finest adulterous work.

— Elise Taylor, Vanity Fair, 24 Oct. 2026
Wood was vindicated three years later, when a league investigation revealed the Astros had been cheating in 2017, stealing signs from a television monitor next to the dugout and relaying them to batters by banging on trash cans.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of cheating

Verb

The top-performing red teamer on the original Arena was a lawyer from Melbourne who just happened to be good at tricking models into jumping their guardrails.

— Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
RatHat relies heavily on tricking someone into installing a malicious Android app and approving powerful permissions.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of tricking

Verb

Eric Schmidt spent nearly a decade atop Google as its CEO, steering the tech giant from its early days as a public company to its current status as one of the world’s most valuable businesses.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
The counterclockwise flow of air around the storm is steering dry air southward from Canada, as a high-pressure force field keeps the system offshore.

— Washington Post, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of steering

Verb

The Sun enters your 3rd House, beginning a month that favors learning, writing, conversations, local activity, and following questions farther than usual.

— Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 23 Oct. 2026
The foundation cites decades of research and learning showing that grantees with flexible, long-term funding were better prepared for the unexpected.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of learning

Verb

Emergency crews in Florida and Alabama are surveying damage wrought by Hurricane Isaias, after the storm bashed into the Gulf Coast as a Category 2 storm Friday night.

— Bill Chappell, NPR, 10 Oct. 2026
The three-time NBA MVP stood behind a gaggle of teammates squished up against the CU bench, quietly surveying the madness from the 15-yard line while twisting the cap of his bottled water.

— Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of surveying

Verb

That urgency has marked Holden’s prolific output—especially the thrilling first installment of his Supreme Magnetic series in 2025 and 2022’s Joe Frog—as the Harlem rapper uses his street-hustling past to paint an autobiographical portrait.

— Matthew Ritchie, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
The 30-second teaser sees Jackson hustling around town, making money and recruiting his team of crooks.

— Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of hustling

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Style

“Conning.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conning. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of conning

verb (1)

verb (2)

verb (3)

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