palming

verb

present participle of palm
as in wishing
to offer (something fake, useless, or inferior) as genuine, useful, or valuable another low-rent company trying to palm cheesy merchandise upon mail-order customers

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 palming Of the billionaires who line up on the Messeplatz for the First Choice VIP opening at Art Basel, few would be out of place palming handshakes and quaffing Champagne at the Steigenberger Icon Grandhotel Belvédère. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 20 Mar. 2026 The school also posted a picture of the center, who reportedly has a 7-4 wingspan, palming two basketballs on the program’s website. — Alex Valdes, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for palming
  1. wishing
  2. inflicting
  3. imposing
  4. foisting
Verb
  • Marie Antoinette aficionados might leave this documentary wishing for a bit more juice.
    — Radhika Seth, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Desirée did not opt to petition for the return of the Cranach, not wishing to run an art dealership, but did successfully pursue restitution for other property.
    — Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of wishing
Verb
  • The administration insists its strategy of inflicting economic pain is working.
    — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
  • He is charged with battery causing bodily harm and kidnapping and inflicting bodily harm upon or terrorizing a victim.
    — Steven Yablonski, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of inflicting
Verb
  • Upon entering, an imposing chandelier is a focal point and above it, the original ceiling has been carefully preserved.
    — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Infused with an injection of classic Osbourne glamour, the creamy stucco and terracotta-roof structure is tucked behind imposing security gates on just over half an acre.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of imposing
Verb
  • Even Jeff, post-premiere, has been a delight, just kind of letting the game play out and not foisting metaphors upon us at Tribal Council.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
  • No foisting me on another mother too overwhelmed to notice.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Definition of foisting

Browse Nearby Words

palmed off
palming
palming off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Palming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/palming. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All