THREE-CARD MONTE Synonyms: 39 Similar Words

three-card monte

noun

Definition of three-card monte

as in thimblerig

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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 three-card monte But what Booth desperately wants is for Linc to teach him the art of three-card monte, and to work with him on the street. — Jim Higgins, jsonline.com, 15 July 2025 The Moore administration has chosen the opposite approach, doubling down on spending while shuffling money around in a game of three-card monte. — J.b. Jennings, Baltimore Sun, 5 Feb. 2026 Smith, according to law enforcement, was basically playing three-card monte with wire transfers and bogus bank statements to help cover his high times and high-risk investments. — Neal Rubin, Detroit Free Press, 8 June 2024 Booth, a street hustler, wants Lincoln to teach him three-card monte, a game Lincoln mastered before giving it up for a respectable, if demoralizing, job. — Imani Perry Janina Edwards Krish Seenivasan Devin Murphy, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024 See All Example Sentences for three-card monte

Recent Examples of Synonyms for three-card monte

Noun

Next is an incredible 30% clearance on the Sonos Ace Noise Cancelling headphones, a plush acoustic shield engineered to neutralize household background racket.

— Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 8 July 2026
His public defender says Bonheur should get home confinement… for running a $7-million racket.

— Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 7 July 2026

Definition of racket

Noun

Among them was the founder of a major pyramid scheme that defrauded thousands of Colombians of their savings, as well as Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman with close ties to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was later extradited to the United States on money-laundering charges.

— John Otis, NPR, 21 June 2026
Attention online—which is to say, the modern entertainment industry at large—can look a bit like a pyramid scheme, with each lower layer trying to siphon a segment of audience away from the more famous one above.

— Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2026

Definition of pyramid scheme

Noun

My mother was conned twice — once by a Ponzi scheme, once by a diagnosis that dressed up as good health for too many years.

— Marissa Stapley, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
The Miami Herald has previously reported on how OneCoin was later investigated in multiple countries for perpetrating a Ponzi scheme worth $4 billion, $400 million of which Scott helped launder.

— Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026

Definition of Ponzi scheme

Noun

Upsize your jig trailers, go with a larger worm on your Texas rig, or tie on a full-size topwater plug.

— David A. Brown, Outdoor Life, 1 July 2026
But a freestyler’s sombrero flick starts with the ball on the floor and requires two touches with the same foot to get it up and over your head, including a little jig in between.

— Stuart James, New York Times, 21 June 2026

Definition of jig

Noun

After missing a penalty in the game’s third minute, Messi rebounded with a strike from 15 yards away in the 38th minute and an unreal dodge of multiple Austrian defenders for a second goal in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 June 2026
Maybe jump the fence over to his left and get out of dodge.

— Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 20 June 2026

Definition of dodge

Noun

Photograph by Glen Wilson / Lionsgate Fuqua’s low-key approach is both a natural expression of his personality and a shrewd stratagem to reassure people around him that everything is under control.

— Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026
Through Elizabeth’s rise from servant to visionary who resisted Henry VIII’s break with the Roman Catholic Church to gain a divorce, Brown explores historical women’s stratagems for self-determination.

— Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2026

Definition of stratagem

Noun

The Empire State Building frequently switches up its lighting scheme to commemorate special events throughout the year.

— Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 July 2026
The other company whose shares were manipulated in the scheme, E-Waste, had an even higher market cap at some point, despite being nothing more than a shell company.

— Dan Mangan, CNBC, 3 July 2026

Definition of scheme

Browse Nearby Words

threats

three-card monte

three-card montes

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Style

“Three-card monte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/three-card%20monte. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of three-card monte

noun

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