Definition, synonyms and related words
plural of con
"In LISP programming, cons creates a new list by pairing two elements together using its internal car and cdr pointers."
A data structure in LISP that is a pair of pointers, car and cdr, used mainly for lists.
In plain English: Cons are small mistakes that happen when you try to do something right but end up making it worse instead.
"The main con with that plan is that it will cost too much money."
Usage: Use "cons" as a noun only when discussing Lisp programming or functional languages where it refers specifically to a data structure pairing two elements. Avoid using this term outside of technical contexts involving list construction in computer science.
To obtain a list from a cons or a nesting of conses; to prepend an element to a list by forming a cons of that element and the list; to obtain a list from a smaller one by repeated application of such kind of prepending.
"The dealer consistently cons tourists out of their money every day at the market."
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of con
In plain English: To cons someone means to trick them into doing something they wouldn't normally do, usually for your own benefit.
"The salesperson tried to con me into buying an expensive fake watch."
The word "cons" is a clipped form of the longer phrase "construct." It was shortened to create a more casual and concise way to refer to building or assembling something.