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Ponzi scheme

noun

Definition of Ponzi schemenext
as in pyramid scheme

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of Ponzi scheme Particularly that the massive deferrals built into Shohei Ohtani's contract are part of some sort of Ponzi scheme. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Summary Todd Burkhalter, CEO of Drive Planning LLC, received a 20-year prison sentence for orchestrating Georgia's largest Ponzi scheme, defrauding over 2,000 investors of $380 million. — Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026 According to details provided at the press conference, hundreds of people fell victim to what Runyan called a Ponzi scheme. — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026 Jason Cloth, a film producer with dozens of credits including Joker, Longlegs and Babylon, is facing numerous federal fraud charges and decades in prison in connection with a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors of more than $100 million. — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 29 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for Ponzi scheme
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Ponzi scheme
pyramid scheme
Noun
  • Among them was the founder of a major pyramid scheme that defrauded thousands of Colombians of their savings, as well as Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman with close ties to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was later extradited to the United States on money-laundering charges.
    — John Otis, NPR, 21 June 2026
  • Attention online—which is to say, the modern entertainment industry at large—can look a bit like a pyramid scheme, with each lower layer trying to siphon a segment of audience away from the more famous one above.
    — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2026
Definition of pyramid scheme

Browse Nearby Words

pony up
Ponzi scheme
Ponzi schemes
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Cite this Entry

“Ponzi scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Ponzi%20scheme. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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