shill
English · Thesaurus
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shill¹
- /ʃɪl/
Sounds like she'll (in some accents) · Rhymes with -ɪl
Where it comes from
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.
noun shills
-
A person paid to endorse a product while pretending to be impartial.
carnival barkers and their shills, fleecing the rubes
Similar: shiller
- Any 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.
-
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)
Similar: inside man, potted plant
-
A 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.
Similar: stick
Similar: shillaber
verb shills · shilling · shilled
- To 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 for a certain brand of building materials.
shill²
- /ʃɪl/
Sounds like she'll (in some accents) · Rhymes with -ɪl
verb shills · shilling · shilled
- To put under cover; to sheal.
shill³
- /ʃɪl/
Sounds like she'll (in some accents) · Rhymes with -ɪl
verb shills · shilling · shilled
- To shell.
Shill⁴
Where it comes from
Unexplained.
proper noun Shills
- A surname.
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: shillaber
Translations
Every language
noun a person paid to endorse a product favourably
| Español | testaferro, hombre de paja, calanchín, testaférrea, entruchón |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | サクラ sakura |
| 中文 | 托兒 /托儿 tuōr, 水軍 /水军 shuǐjūn |
| Français | homme de paille, prête-nom |
| Deutsch | Anreißer, Anreißerin |
| Italiano | uomo di paglia, prestanome |
| Ελληνικά | αβανταδόρος avantadóros |
| Русский | подставно́е лицо́ podstavnóje licó, подсадна́я у́тка podsadnája útka |
noun an accomplice at a confidence trick
| Español | compinche, palero, cómplice, entruchón |
|---|---|
| Français | compère, commère, comparse, complice |
| Deutsch | Lockvogel, Gehilfe des Schaustellers, Gehilfe des Hausierers, Gehilfin des Schaustellers, Gehilfin des Hausierers |
| Italiano | compare, comparsa |
| Русский | соо́бщник soóbščnik, соуча́стник součástnik |
verb to promote or endorse in return for payment
| Español | prevaricar, andar en chanchullos, trapichear, trapisondear, embaucar, embabucar |
|---|---|
| Français | prévariquer, trafiquer, magouiller, tripoter, faire l'homme de paille |
| Deutsch | Ware anpreisen |
| Italiano | prevaricare, trafficare, brogliare |
| Русский | впа́ривать vpárivatʹ, впа́рить vpáritʹ, втю́хивать vtjúxivatʹ, втю́хать vtjúxatʹ |
Talk about this word "shill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shill. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. shill. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shill "shill." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shill.Cite this
@misc{shill_2026,
title = {shill},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shill},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
