GRIFT INFORMAL, Meaning of GRIFT INFORMAL, in English grift informal,chiefly US■ verb engage in petty swindling. ■ noun a petty swindle.Derivativesgrifter noun Originearly 20th cent.: alt. of graft 2 . Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004