: 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 WebLars Daniel, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Many times once a financial institution investigates a complaint and determines that the customer isn't a bad actor or didn't fall for some types of scams directly, the money is reimbursed.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 27 Oct. 2024
Abigail Denault, The Arizona Republic, 29 Sep. 2024
By Anna Gordon September 25, 2024 9:47 AM EDT
Spanish police arrested five people for impersonating Brad Pitt in order to scam women by convincing them that the famed Hollywood actor was in love with them.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scam 
Noun
This exit scam caused internal friction within BlackCat’s ranks, with the affiliate responsible for the breach breaking away to form its own group, which then reportedly demanded a second ransom.
—Lars Daniel, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024
Many times once a financial institution investigates a complaint and determines that the customer isn't a bad actor or didn't fall for some types of scams directly, the money is reimbursed.
—Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 27 Oct. 2024
Verb
The organization also helps connect businesses to local credit unions, a response to the predatory lenders or scams many small businesses, especially Spanish-speaking owners, may encounter.
—Abigail Denault, The Arizona Republic, 29 Sep. 2024
By Anna Gordon September 25, 2024 9:47 AM EDT
Spanish police arrested five people for impersonating Brad Pitt in order to scam women by convincing them that the famed Hollywood actor was in love with them.
—Anna Gordon, TIME, 25 Sep. 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 31 Oct. 2024.
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