as in scam
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value
it's amazing how intelligent people fall for that investment-fund shell game
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Recent Examples of shell game
The law is getting in the way of this shell game—for now.
—
Karen Tumlin, Time, 6 May 2025
To demonstrate that point in a video, a researcher told a robot arm to put a bunch of plastic grapes into a clear Tupperware container, then proceeded to shift three containers around on the table in an approximation of a shyster’s shell game.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2025
Because Florida officials knew the insurance companies were playing this financial shell game years ago.
—Scott Maxwell, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2025
This is the shell game designed to hide a huge shift in resources to benefit men’s football and basketball.
—Donna Lopiano, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shell game
Karen Tumlin, Time, 6 May 2025
To demonstrate that point in a video, a researcher told a robot arm to put a bunch of plastic grapes into a clear Tupperware container, then proceeded to shift three containers around on the table in an approximation of a shyster’s shell game.
—Eliza Strickland, IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2025
Because Florida officials knew the insurance companies were playing this financial shell game years ago.
—Scott Maxwell, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2025
This is the shell game designed to hide a huge shift in resources to benefit men’s football and basketball.
—Donna Lopiano, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shell game
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shell game
scam
Noun
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But the incident is the latest high-profile example of how easy—and alarmingly convincing—AI voice scams have become.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
10 July 2025
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Less than halfway through 2025, eight similar scams have cost victims more than $256,000.—
Susan Tompor,
Freep.com,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shell game.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shell%20game. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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