con
pronunciation
How to pronounce con in British English:
UK [kɒn]
How to pronounce con in American English:
US [kɑn]
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- Noun:
- an argument opposed to a proposal
- a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison
- a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property
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- Verb:
- deprive of by deceit
- commit to memory; learn by heart
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- Adverb:
- on the negative side
Word Origin
- con (n.1)
- "negation" (mainly in pro and con), 1570s, short for Latin contra "against" (see contra).
- con (n.2)
- "study," early 15c., from Old English cunnan "to know, know how" (see can (v.1)).
- con (adj.)
- "swindling," 1889, American English, from confidence man (1849), from the many scams in which the victim is induced to hand over money as a token of confidence. Confidence with a sense of "assurance based on insufficient grounds" dates from 1590s.
- con (n.3)
- a slang or colloquial shortening of various nouns beginning in con-, such as, from the 19th century, confidant, conundrum, conformist, convict, contract, and from the 20th century, conductor, conservative.
- con (v.1)
- "to guide ships," 1620s, from French conduire "to conduct, lead, guide" (10c.), from Latin conducere (see conduce). Related: Conned; conning.
- con (v.2)
- "to swindle," 1896, from con (adj.). Related: Conned; conning.
Example
- 1. People love to discuss celebrities , so posts about famous folks generate comments-pro and con .
- 2. Con : lacrosse will be ignored by the traditional sporting powers , and soon become the exclusive dominion of small , over-privileged white countries like luxembourg and liechtenstein .
- 3. He even profiles a con man who scammed occupy boston into giving him control of its finances .
- 4. When difficult cases occur , they are difficult chiefly because while we have them under consideration , all the reasons pro and con are not present to the mind at the same time ......
- 5. Con : her newfound stability is likely because of a conservatorship deal she signed last year , which won 't even let her flip off a barista without legal supervision .