Pronunciations (4)
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/ˈɡɹɪftɚ/
Pronunciation notes
- General-American
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/ˈɡɹɪftə/
Pronunciation notes
- Australia
- Received-Pronunciation
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ˈɡɹɪftɚ
Pronunciation notes
- US
-
ˈɡɹɪftə
Pronunciation notes
- GB
Noun
A con artist; someone who pulls confidence games; a swindler, scammer, huckster, hustler, and/or charlatan.
Usage- US usage
- Informal
- Examples
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We're all grifters. So we sell each other out for a nickel.
That was the train the drunks and the sinners rode—the gambling men and the grifters, the big-time spenders, the skirt-chasers, and all the jolly crew.
More examples (1)
From the small-time grifters like Anna Sorokin, who adopted the last name Delvey to masquerade in downtown New York circles as a European heiress for four years before she was convicted of second-degree grand larceny in 2019, […] all impostors come equipped with a tall tale and a look to match.
A manipulator or otherwise generally corrupt person who "games" a system, group of people, or other entity for selfish gains; especially of a political "sell-out" perceived as lacking integrity.
Usage- Internet
- Colloquial
- especially
- Examples
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More examples (2)
The latest act in the Madness of King Donald drama playing globally on every channel underlined the increasingly delusional world the anti-hero inhabits, his fantasies fed and indulged by a cast of sycophants, lackeys and straight grifters, all in it for what they can get.
That tiny blue slice is what’s left of the Coalition (both Liberals and Nationals), squeezed between the teals and a barbarian horde of mouthbreathers, grifters and flat-out, flat-earth fucking weirdos gathered under the bright-orange war banner of Pauline Hanson’s One Nation — or, as they would officially henceforth be known, His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.
A YouTuber or other content creator who produces low-effort content critiquing a particular franchise or trend, particularly content perceived as ragebait or done for monetary gain.
Usage- Internet
- Derogatory
- Examples
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More examples (1)
But with changing technology, criticism has entered a new era thanks to YouTube and live streaming. In the middle of all this growth is a pseudo-intellectual fungus which seems to be spreading rapidly. In my article about Box Office numbers I mentioned the phrase “grifter critic”.
Noun
a person who swindles you by means of deception or fraud