A swindle or dishonest scheme to cheat someone out of money; or money obtained through such schemes.
Origin uncertain, possibly from British dialectal 'grift' related to 'graft' (to work hard). The word became associated with con artists in the early 1900s and may derive from carnival or con-artist slang.
A 'grift' is a con where the victim often doesn't realize they've been cheated until much later—which is why it's distinct from obvious theft, making it psychologically more interesting to the criminals who plan it.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.