Make Amerika Grift Again

grift
verb
;grift
grifted; grifting; grifts
transitive verb

: to obtain (money or property) illicitly (as in a confidence game)
intransitive verb

: to acquire money or property illicitly
grift noun
grifter noun


Did you know?
A grifter might be a pickpocket, a crooked gambler, scammer, or a confidence man. Grift may have come from graft, a slightly older word meaning "to acquire dishonestly."

Examples of grift in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Austin residents are reporting an influx of scammers attempting to grift personal, financial information, Austin Energy officials said Thursday.
—Cross Harris, Austin American-Statesman, 9 Aug. 2024
But a clumsy execution could undermine Trump’s attempt to ingratiate himself, perpetuating the impression that the crypto industry is a breeding ground for scams and grift.
—Joel Khalili, WIRED, 4 Sep. 2024

Word History
Etymology
grift, noun, perhaps alteration of graft

First Known Use
1902, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of grift was in 1902
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