: 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
Davey Winder, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
McAfee researchers found these sorts of scams targeting footwear and handbag brands, including Adidas and Louis Vuitton.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
Zak Doffman, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
The story begins with young Estela (Anna Díaz) making her way through the side door sometime before opening to ever-so-slightly scam her way into a position as an assistant cook.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scam 
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Noun
Security researchers have been tracking a sophisticated fake betting scam across social media platforms that uses AI technology to help deliver the con.
—Davey Winder, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
McAfee researchers found these sorts of scams targeting footwear and handbag brands, including Adidas and Louis Vuitton.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
These include real-time, on-device threat monitoring for malware and even scam calls that set a new bar for safeguarding our smartphones.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
The story begins with young Estela (Anna Díaz) making her way through the side door sometime before opening to ever-so-slightly scam her way into a position as an assistant cook.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 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 18 Dec. 2024.
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