: 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 & GazetteExamples 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
Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 25 Dec. 2025
Kristin will be returning to the job as an elderly affairs officer, primarily working at the senior center with the elderly, informing them of scams and elder abuse.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 24 Dec. 2025
Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
Attempts to scam government programs are rare but likely becoming more common nationwide, according to Linda Miller, president and co-founder of the Program Integrity Alliance, a nonprofit focused on fraud prevention in the public sector.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Twin Cities, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scam
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Noun
The Attorney General for the District of Columbia recently filed a lawsuit against Athena Bitcoin, a major crypto ATM operator, alleging that 93% of deposits to the company’s crypto ATMs were scam-related.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 25 Dec. 2025
Kristin will be returning to the job as an elderly affairs officer, primarily working at the senior center with the elderly, informing them of scams and elder abuse.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 24 Dec. 2025
Verb
On the surface, Hustlers is, of course, about strippers who scam wealthy men.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 23 Dec. 2025
Attempts to scam government programs are rare but likely becoming more common nationwide, according to Linda Miller, president and co-founder of the Program Integrity Alliance, a nonprofit focused on fraud prevention in the public sector.
—Hannah Fingerhut, Twin Cities, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scam
Cite this Entry
“Scam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scam. Accessed 27 Dec. 2025.
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