Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A swindle in which an unsuspecting person is cheated; a confidence game.
  • transitive verb To swindle.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun See bunko.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun see bunko.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun US, slang A swindle or confidence trick.
  • noun A parlour game played in teams with three dice, originating in England but popular among suburban women in the United States at the beginning of the 21st century.
  • verb transitive, intransitive, US, slang To swindle (someone).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb deprive of by deceit
  • noun a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Probably alteration of Spanish banca, card game, from Italian banca, bank, of Germanic origin; see bank.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Reportedly from Spanish banca, a card game.

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Examples

  • The New York _World_ described the transaction between the government and the Morgan Company as a "bunco" game, and charged that

    The United States Since the Civil War Charles Ramsdell Lingley

  • A game of strip bunco ensued with Vinnie and his gang.

    Mercy Kill Lori Armstrong 2011

  • Where the bunco came in was in the distribution of these things after labor had created them.

    Chapter V 2010

  • Then there were the fools who took the organized bunco game seriously, honoring and respecting it.

    Chapter V 2010

  • Five thousand for a claim on that damned moose-pasture is bunco.

    Chapter XI 2010

  • It affects your peer group, who your kids play with, and what church, Little League, or bunco group you participate in.

    Chris Ladd: Attack of the Vampire Mortgages Chris Ladd 2012

  • It affects your peer group, who your kids play with, and what church, Little League, or bunco group you participate in.

    Chris Ladd: Attack of the Vampire Mortgages Chris Ladd 2012

  • Unluckily for us, members of the Use It or Lose It bunco club made good on their motto to play bunco from “every church hall to every pool hall” in our fair county.

    Mercy Kill Lori Armstrong 2011

  • It affects your peer group, who your kids play with, and what church, Little League, or bunco group you participate in.

    Chris Ladd: Attack of the Vampire Mortgages Chris Ladd 2012

  • They were easy game for the others, who saw clearly and knew the bunco game for what it was.

    Chapter V 2010

Comments

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  • As of 2009 I think you should use

    "419" as in "Nigerian 419 scam"

    to the definition and comments

    on bunco.

    Bob R.

    December 27, 2009

  • "Suburban women?"

    April 8, 2014

  • You need to stop going on dates with Wiktionary.

    April 9, 2014

  • That's true. It's a shame to waste good martinis on creepy dictionaries.

    April 9, 2014