shill Definition
- 1a person who pretends to be a satisfied customer or enthusiastic supporter of a particular product or service, while concealing his or her true identity and/or motives, especially in order to generate interest or demand
- 2to act as a shill
Using shill: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "shill" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The company hired a shill to promote their new product online.
Example
The audience suspected that the enthusiastic applause was from shills planted in the crowd.
Example
He was accused of shilling for the political party during the election campaign.
shill Synonyms and Antonyms
Phrases with shill
the illegal practice of placing bids on one's own items or products in order to drive up the price and create the appearance of greater demand
Example
The auction house was caught engaging in shill bidding to inflate the prices of their items.
a fraudulent scheme in which a group of people work together to deceive others, often involving a shill who poses as an innocent bystander or customer
Example
The con artist used a shill game to trick unsuspecting tourists into buying fake jewelry.
a fake or biased review of a product or service, often written by a shill or paid reviewer
Example
The restaurant was caught posting shill reviews on social media to attract more customers.
Origins of shill
originally from carnival slang, meaning 'a decoy used by swindlers'
Summary: shill in Brief
A 'shill' [ʃɪl] is a person who promotes a product or service while hiding their true identity and/or motives, often pretending to be a satisfied customer or enthusiastic supporter. The term originated from carnival slang and has since expanded to include phrases like 'shill bidding' and 'shill review.' It can also be used as a verb, as in 'He was accused of shilling for the political party during the election campaign.'
