: a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation
an insurance scam
scammed; scamming; scams
1
: to deceive and defraud (someone)
… the law firm had got the lucrative job of defending the corporate head of a savings and loan that had scammed another thousand or so people out of their savings …—
Joseph Wambaugh
Joseph Wambaugh2
: to obtain (something, such as money) by a scam
A Boston hedge fund manager who scammed millions of dollars from friends, family and other investors in what authorities say was a Ponzi scheme has been sent to prison for more than 14 years.—The Worcester (Massachusetts) Telegram & Gazette
The Worcester (Massachusetts) Telegram & GazetteSynonyms
Examples of scam in a Sentence
Noun
She was the victim of an insurance scam.
a sophisticated credit card scam
Verb
The company scammed hundreds of people out of their life savings.
I could tell they were scamming you and charging too much.
They scammed a lot of money from unwary customers.
Recent Examples on the WebJon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2024
Donald Trump’s latest financial disclosure reveals that the former president — who once called Bitcoin a scam — now owns more than $1 million in cryptocurrency.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 16 Aug. 2024
Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 12 July 2024
The fraudulent sites may try to lure victims in by promising a quick fix to the CrowdStrike issue or scam them with offers of fake cryptocurrency.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 22 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for scam 
Noun
Using messages disguised to look like an urgent inquiry from your bank or service provider, these scams try to dupe you into giving up keys to your identity and, potentially, your savings.
—Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2024
Donald Trump’s latest financial disclosure reveals that the former president — who once called Bitcoin a scam — now owns more than $1 million in cryptocurrency.
—William Gavin, Quartz, 16 Aug. 2024
Verb
Cybercriminals are launching websites to try to sell fake tickets to the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games and looking for other ways to scam unsuspecting tourists.
—Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 12 July 2024
The fraudulent sites may try to lure victims in by promising a quick fix to the CrowdStrike issue or scam them with offers of fake cryptocurrency.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 22 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for scam
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near scam
Cite this Entry
“Scam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scam. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share