: 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 Web
Daniel Wine, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Jackson's campaign lists priorities such as the fentanyl crisis, building defenses against artificial intelligence scams and protecting seniors from fraud.
—Alexandria Sands, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
Zac Ntim, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2024
Eve and Nick are incredibly interesting characters because in many narratives such as this one — an unwitting couple tries to scam or steal or finagle a better life with rapidly escalating moral quandaries tied to the consequences — the story takes dark and thorny turns.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scam 
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Noun
Ticket scams have targeted fans of which British band that recently announced a reunion tour?
—Daniel Wine, CNN, 5 Nov. 2024
Jackson's campaign lists priorities such as the fentanyl crisis, building defenses against artificial intelligence scams and protecting seniors from fraud.
—Alexandria Sands, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
Pacino plays a wheeling-dealing art buyer who attempts to scam Modigliani out of a painting.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2024
Eve and Nick are incredibly interesting characters because in many narratives such as this one — an unwitting couple tries to scam or steal or finagle a better life with rapidly escalating moral quandaries tied to the consequences — the story takes dark and thorny turns.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scam
Dictionary Entries Near scam
Cite this Entry
“Scam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scam. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
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