snake oil salesman

noun

A swindler or grifter who sells worthless or fraudulent remedies, cures, or solutions such as snake oil, often an aggressive or showy manner.

“She was dubbed a "modern day snake oil salesman" after she managed to swindle over thousands of internet customers.”

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Meanings

nounsnake oil salesman (plural snake oil salesmen)

plural snake oil salesmen

  1. A swindler or grifter who sells worthless or fraudulent remedies, cures, or solutions such as snake oil, often an aggressive or showy manner.

    She was dubbed a "modern day snake oil salesman" after she managed to swindle over thousands of internet customers.

    Synonyms: bristler, bunco artist, bunco-steerer, chiseler, con artist, confidence artist, confidence trickster, conman

  2. One who deceives people in order to obtain money from others: fraud, scammer, charlatan, huckster, conman.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA swindler or grifter who sells worthless or fraudulent remedies, cures, or solutions such as snake oil, often an aggressive or showy manner.

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bristlerbunco artistbunco-steererchiselercon artistconfidence artistconfidence tricksterconmanflimflammergrifterluggermagsmanmountebanksaltimbancosharpstersharkershark-gullslickersmooth operatorspiv
Also see
luggerpharmacist
Cite this entry
APA

snake oil salesman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snake%20oil%20salesman

MLA

“snake oil salesman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snake%20oil%20salesman. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “snake oil salesman,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/snake%20oil%20salesman.

Source: snake oil salesman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.