Meanings
shill1
plural shills
- A person paid to endorse a product while pretending to be impartial.
carnival barkers and their shills, fleecing the rubes
2 more examples
Witnesses have testified that Jim Jones (like a few other professional faith-healers) used shills part of the time […]
1983, Robert Anton Wilson, Prometheus RisingYou’ve Got Mail is certainly the basic model for the plot, which finds corporate candy shill Joel ([Paul] Rudd) and indie-sweetshop owner Molly ([Amy] Poehler) regaling their dinner companions with the very long, digressive story of how they met and fell in love.
2014 June 26, A. A. Dowd, “Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler Spoof Rom-com Clichés in They Came Together”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 07 Dec 2017Synonyms: shiller
- derogatoryAny person enthusiastically endorsing a product; especially, one who is getting paid for the endorsement.
On the screen, there was that quack again, playing the shill for yet another drug company.
3 more examples
kill yourself ai shill and stop fucking spamming the catalog
2023 March 15, anonymous author, 4chan, /ic/No one but the most delusional sony shill thinks killzone is good. so probably most people on this board
2025 March 21, anonymous author, 4chan, /vr/Meanwhile, an influence operation by Iranian shill accounts began amplifying commentary critical of the war almost immediately after the first US strikes on Iran.
2026 March 31, George Chidi, “Chatter and fear about US military draft emerge as Trump’s Iran war drags on”, in The Guardian, →ISSN - An accomplice at a confidence trick during an auction or gambling game, such as an accomplice of the seller who bids to drive up the price.
Near-synonyms: inside man, potted plant (contextually synonymous)
3 more examples
Sniping is necessary because if you bid before the last minute it just gives the shills more time to screw you over.
The pitchman swept his cane in a slow acceleration over the heads of the crowd and then suddenly pointed the silver cap toward Billy and the shill.
1994, Cormac McCarthy, The Crossing (The Border Trilogy; 2), New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →ISBNWhen a likely customer walks by, one of the shills says something like, “You've got to play this game. This idiot is giving away money.”
2009, Michael Benson, Cons and Frauds, Infobase, →ISBN, page 21Synonyms: inside man, potted plant
- gamblingA house player in a casino.
There may even be a casino shill sitting adjacent to you. Normally, the casino shills are gorgeous women, and sometimes men, so enjoy the scenery.
2000, Dennis R. Harrison, Casino Gambling: Your Absolute, Quintessential, All You Wanted to Know ...Synonyms: stick
present singular third person shills · participle present shilling · participle past shilled · past shilled
- derogatoryintransitivetransitiveTo promote or endorse in return for payment, especially dishonestly; sometimes extended sarcastically even to those not paid but strongly biased in favor.
That contractor seems to be shilling that specific epoxy.
3 more examples
That contractor seems to be shilling for a certain brand of building materials.
Today there are even commercials in which real scientists, some of considerable distinction, shill for corporations. They teach that scientists too will lie for money. As Tom Paine warned, inuring us to lies lays the groundwork for many other evils.
1996, Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted WorldOver the last six months, as A-list celebrities have shilled for digital currencies and NFTs, Mr. McKenzie, a TV actor best known for his starring role in “The O.C.,” has become an outspoken skeptic.
2022 March 31, David Yaffe-Bellany, “Ben McKenzie Would Like a Word With the Crypto Bros”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
shill2
present singular third person shills · participle present shilling · participle past shilled · past shilled
- To put under cover; to sheal.
shill3
present singular third person shills · participle present shilling · participle past shilled · past shilled
- UKdialectalobsoleteTo shell.
Shill4
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person paid to endorse a product while pretending to be impartial.
nounAn accomplice at a confidence trick during an auction or gambling game, such as an accomplice of the seller who bids to drive up the price.
nounA house player in a casino.
Origin
shill · noun, verb
- GermanSchieber“black marketeer, profiteer”
- Englishshill
Unknown; attested as verb 1914, as noun 1916. Perhaps an abbreviation of shillaber, attested 1913. The word entered English via carny, originally denoting a carnival worker who pretends to be a member of the audience in an attempt to elicit interest in an attraction. Speculatively an extended form of German Schieber (“black marketeer, profiteer”) via *shi-la-ber. There are some suggestions that it originates in the surname Shilaber or Shillibeer, especially George Shillibeer, but proposed origins are dubious as the word is first attested in North America in the 20th century, while proposed models are 19th century British. American humorist Benjamin Penhallow Shillaber (1814–1890) was known to write under the name Mrs. Ruth Partington to lend credibility to some of his ideas. This is one more possible origin of the word, although there is no specific evidence supporting a connection.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan testaferro, trafica
- testaferroa person paid to endorse a product favourably
- traficaan accomplice at a confidence trick
- traficarto promote or endorse in return for payment
- fer tripijocsto promote or endorse in return for payment
- fer trafiquesto promote or endorse in return for payment
- prevaricarto promote or endorse in return for payment
- embrollarto promote or endorse in return for payment
- encobrirto put under cover, to sheal
- cobrirto put under cover, to sheal
- taparto put under cover, to sheal
- amagarto put under cover, to sheal
- ocultarto put under cover, to sheal
- celarto put under cover, to sheal
Chinese Cantonese 打手
- 打手 (daa² sau²)a person paid to endorse a product favourably
Chinese Mandarin 托兒 /托儿, 水軍 /水军
- 托兒 /托儿 (tuōr)a person paid to endorse a product favourably
- 水軍 /水军 (shuǐjūn)a person paid to endorse a product favourably
Finnish maksettu apuri, vedättäjä
- maksettu apuria person paid to endorse a product favourably
- vedättäjäan accomplice at a confidence trick
- talonpelaaja(gambling) a house player in a casino
- mainostaato promote or endorse in return for payment
- tyrkyttääto promote or endorse in return for payment
- tuputtaato promote or endorse in return for payment
- peittääto put under cover, to sheal
French homme de paille, prête-nom
- homme de paillea person paid to endorse a product favourably
- prête-noma person paid to endorse a product favourably
- compèrean accomplice at a confidence trick
- commèrean accomplice at a confidence trick
- comparsean accomplice at a confidence trick
- complicean accomplice at a confidence trick
- prévariquerto promote or endorse in return for payment
- trafiquerto promote or endorse in return for payment
- magouillerto promote or endorse in return for payment
- tripoterto promote or endorse in return for payment
- faire l'homme de pailleto promote or endorse in return for payment
- cacherto put under cover, to sheal
- couvrirto put under cover, to sheal
- occulterto put under cover, to sheal
- enterrerto put under cover, to sheal
- passer sous silenceto put under cover, to sheal
- taireto put under cover, to sheal
- celerto put under cover, to sheal
German Anreißer, Anreißerin
- Anreißera person paid to endorse a product favourably
- Anreißerina person paid to endorse a product favourably
- Lockvogelan accomplice at a confidence trick
- Gehilfe des Schaustellersan accomplice at a confidence trick
- Gehilfe des Hausierersan accomplice at a confidence trick
- Gehilfin des Schaustellersan accomplice at a confidence trick
- Gehilfin des Hausierersan accomplice at a confidence trick
- Ware anpreisento promote or endorse in return for payment
Greek αβανταδόρος
- αβανταδόρος (avantadóros)a person paid to endorse a product favourably
Hungarian szélhámos segítője/segítőtársa
- szélhámos segítője/segítőtársaan accomplice at a confidence trick
Icelandic leppur
- leppura person paid to endorse a product favourably
Italian uomo di paglia, prestanome
- uomo di pagliaa person paid to endorse a product favourably
- prestanomea person paid to endorse a product favourably
- comparean accomplice at a confidence trick
- comparsaan accomplice at a confidence trick
- prevaricareto promote or endorse in return for payment
- trafficareto promote or endorse in return for payment
- brogliareto promote or endorse in return for payment
Japanese サクラ
- サクラ (sakura)a person paid to endorse a product favourably
Polish słup
- słupa person paid to endorse a product favourably
Russian подставно́е лицо́, подсадна́я у́тка
- подставно́е лицо́ (podstavnóje licó)a person paid to endorse a product favourably
- подсадна́я у́тка (podsadnája útka)a person paid to endorse a product favourably
- соо́бщник (soóbščnik)an accomplice at a confidence trick
- соуча́стник (součástnik)an accomplice at a confidence trick
- впа́ривать (vpárivatʹ)to promote or endorse in return for payment
- впа́рить (vpáritʹ)to promote or endorse in return for payment
- втю́хивать (vtjúxivatʹ)to promote or endorse in return for payment
- втю́хать (vtjúxatʹ)to promote or endorse in return for payment
Spanish testaferro, hombre de paja
- testaferroa person paid to endorse a product favourably
- hombre de pajaa person paid to endorse a product favourably
- calanchína person paid to endorse a product favourably
- testaférreaa person paid to endorse a product favourably
- entruchóna person paid to endorse a product favourably
- compinchean accomplice at a confidence trick
- paleroan accomplice at a confidence trick
- cómplicean accomplice at a confidence trick
- entruchónan accomplice at a confidence trick
- prevaricarto promote or endorse in return for payment
- andar en chanchullosto promote or endorse in return for payment
- trapichearto promote or endorse in return for payment
- trapisondearto promote or endorse in return for payment
- embaucarto promote or endorse in return for payment
- embabucarto promote or endorse in return for payment
- entrucharto promote or endorse in return for payment
- taparto put under cover, to sheal
- encubrirto put under cover, to sheal
- ocultarto put under cover, to sheal
- celarto put under cover, to sheal
- disimularto put under cover, to sheal
Swedish lockfågel
- lockfågela person paid to endorse a product favourably
Thai หน้าม้า, หน้าม้า
- หน้าม้า (nâa-máa)a person paid to endorse a product favourably
- หน้าม้า (nâa-máa)an accomplice at a confidence trick
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with shill
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
shill. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shill
“shill.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shill. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shill,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shill.
Source: shill on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.