conning
- 1Present participle and gerund of con.
Investigators say the pair spent two years conning retirees out of their pensions.
The actor sat in his dressing room, conning his lines one last time before the curtain went up.
Note
The final n doubles before -ing, and the result serves two very different verbs: the informal one meaning to swindle (conning retirees out of their pensions) and the rare one meaning to study or learn by heart (conning his lines). It is also the -ing form of the ship-steering verb, so the object usually settles which is meant: a person, a text, or a vessel.
- 2Present participle and gerund of conn.
A harbor pilot was conning the freighter past the breakwater when the fog rolled in.
Conning a large vessel through a crowded strait demands constant attention to the water ahead.
Note
Here nothing doubles: conn already ends in two n's, and -ing simply joins it. The verb takes the vessel as its object (conning the freighter past the breakwater), and the gerund names the job itself, close to the noun in have the conn or take the conn. It means directing the helmsman, especially through a channel, rather than holding a compass course.
conning is a form of con
con, verb: To trick, lie to, or cheat someone, usually for personal gain. Full entry
- Spelling
- con → conning: double the n, add -ing
conning is a form of conn
conn, verb: To direct the steering of a vessel by watching its course and giving the helmsman orders, especially through a channel rather than along a compass heading. Full entry
- Spelling
- conn → conning: add -ing
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