What does con mean?
As a noun, a con is a swindle: a scheme in which someone gains another's trust only to exploit it for financial or personal advantage, typically through deception. The word derives from 'confidence', because such tricks depend on winning the mark's belief before betraying it. A person who habitually runs cons is called a con artist or conman, and the practice itself is known as a confidence trick or confidence game. Separately, 'con' functions as a short form meaning an argument or reason against something, most familiar from the phrase 'pros and cons', where it stands opposite 'pro'. This second usage is entirely neutral, while the swindle sense carries strong negative connotations of dishonesty and exploitation. Because both senses remain current in everyday English, context determines which applies: news reports of scams use the first, while decision-making discussions almost always use the second. Knowing the distinction helps readers parse headlines and weigh choices with equal fluency.
A swindle or confidence trick; an act of deceiving someone in order to obtain money or property.
"The lottery phone scam was an elaborate con targeting pensioners."
An argument or reason against a proposed action; the opposite of a pro.
"One major con of city living is the constant noise."
To trick or deceive someone into parting with money or valuables; to swindle.
"They conned him into investing his savings in a fictitious company."
Regular plural. Commonly used in the fixed phrase 'pros and cons' to enumerate arguments against something.
"We listed all the pros and cons before making our decision."
The classic 'confidence trick' works because the victim's own trust is the tool of the crime — hence the name.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of con
The swindle sense of 'con' is an abbreviation of 'confidence', arising from the term 'confidence trick', so called because the perpetrator first wins the victim's confidence before defrauding them. It became established in American English during the 19th century alongside the growth of confidence games. The 'against' sense derives from Latin 'contra', meaning 'against', via the older English phrase 'pro and contra'; this is unrelated etymologically to the confidence-based sense. Both senses are shared across British and American English.
Related word forms
How con is actually used
The word carries strongly negative connotations when used in its fraud sense. The 'against' sense is neutral and appears mainly in the fixed phrase 'pros and cons'. In British criminal slang, 'con' also historically referred to a convict, though this usage is now rare outside informal contexts.
Easily confused with con
'Cone' is a solid geometric shape tapering to a point, whereas 'con' is either a swindle or an argument against something.