as in fraud
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value
that's just a scam to bilk insurance companies for staged accidents
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scam
There are all kinds of scams going on, people taking advantage others’ desires to be thinner, wealthier, happier.
—
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Take a deep dive into AI romance scams from the perspectives of a victim — and a former scammer.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026
Phishing and smishing scams One of the most common tax scams involves fraudulent messages designed to look like official IRS communications.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
In fiscal year 2025, consumers reported aggregate losses of more than $2 billion when stating that the scam started on social media.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scam
Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Take a deep dive into AI romance scams from the perspectives of a victim — and a former scammer.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 16 Apr. 2026
Phishing and smishing scams One of the most common tax scams involves fraudulent messages designed to look like official IRS communications.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
In fiscal year 2025, consumers reported aggregate losses of more than $2 billion when stating that the scam started on social media.
—Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 28 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scam
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scam
Noun
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Sean McMorris, transparency, ethics and accountability program manager with California Common Cause, a nonpartisan government watchdog, said in an email Friday that heavy reliance on outside vendors can increase the risk of fraud or mismanagement if oversight is weak.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
18 Apr. 2026
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DeviantArt’s Protect feature uses state-of-the-art image recognition to help safeguard creators’ work against unauthorized use, and the platform employs a dedicated team to investigate and mitigate the impact from spam, scams, fraud, and other bad actors.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Prosecutors charged Said with racketeering and multiple counts of aiding and abetting theft by swindle in connection with an alleged scheme that defrauded Minnesota’s Medicaid program of nearly $11 million, according to the criminal complaint.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 2026
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Said is charged with 10 felony counts, including theft by swindle and racketeering.—
Chloe Rosen,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991, has also been the subject of death hoaxes in the past, including in 2018, when a fake article reporting his death circulated online.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
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Fox, who has been living with Parkinson’s for more than 30 years, has been the subject of death hoaxes over the years.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And perhaps most importantly, the internet wasn’t around for every aspect to be picked apart, and discussions of ever-expanding lore sat in friend groups, cons, or limited forums.—
Matthew Razak,
Space.com,
13 Apr. 2026
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Court documents show this rate con sheet on the left is the original.—
Ashley Velie,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Gentry’s lean frame limits his play strength, and the role fit will vary wildly depending on the scheme, but going to tempt creative coaching staffs.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
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The players were not aware that they were being used as part of the scheme, officials said.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scam. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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