What does conning mean?
Conning is the present participle and gerund of the verb 'to con', which means to deceive or swindle someone, usually by winning their confidence first and then exploiting it for financial gain. A person who is conning others may pose as an investor, a romantic partner, or a trusted official in order to extract money or information. The word carries firmly negative connotations, implying calculated dishonesty rather than mere mischief, and it is common in informal speech, crime reporting, and thriller fiction. Related forms include 'con man', 'con artist', and 'con game', all built on the idea of a confidence trick. Separately, 'conning' has a specialised nautical meaning: directing the steering of a ship, a duty performed from the vessel's conning tower on warships and submarines. Though far less familiar to most readers today, this sense gave English the term 'conning tower'. Because the two senses share spelling but not origin, context determines which meaning applies.
Present participle of 'con': to defraud or swindle someone after gaining their trust.
"The gang was arrested while conning tourists with fake gold rings."
Present participle of 'con': to direct the steering and manoeuvring of a ship.
"The captain was conning the destroyer into harbour."
A ship's captain doesn't steer from the wheelhouse during battle — he climbs into the 'conning tower', because to 'con' originally meant to direct a vessel's course.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How conning is actually used
In its dominant sense, 'conning' carries strongly negative connotations of deliberate fraud and is informal-to-neutral in register; it appears frequently in crime journalism and fiction. The nautical sense is technical and largely confined to maritime contexts.
Easily confused with conning
Cunning is an adjective meaning clever at achieving one's aims by deceit or indirection, while conning is the verb form describing the act of swindling someone.