as in Ponzi scheme
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Recent Examples of pyramid scheme
Like a pyramid scheme, Patriot Front effectively paid for its operations by amassing new members.
—
David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2024
Both individuals orchestrated massive pyramid schemes, defrauding investors of billions.
—James Broughel, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Herbalife eventually settled the suit for about two hundred million dollars and agreed to restructure its operations; in return, the F.T.C. stopped short of calling the company a pyramid scheme, and Herbalife stayed in business.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
Despite the decades of bad press and costly litigation that ensued, pyramid schemes—or, to be precise, the ostensibly law-abiding companies that happen to be dead ringers for pyramid schemes—appear to be an immovable pillar of the American economy.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pyramid scheme
David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2024
Both individuals orchestrated massive pyramid schemes, defrauding investors of billions.
—James Broughel, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Herbalife eventually settled the suit for about two hundred million dollars and agreed to restructure its operations; in return, the F.T.C. stopped short of calling the company a pyramid scheme, and Herbalife stayed in business.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
Despite the decades of bad press and costly litigation that ensued, pyramid schemes—or, to be precise, the ostensibly law-abiding companies that happen to be dead ringers for pyramid schemes—appear to be an immovable pillar of the American economy.
—Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
See All Example Sentences for pyramid scheme
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pyramid scheme
Noun
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Bernie Madoff Bernie Madoff, infamous for the largest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history, lost a personal net worth estimated at $823-$826 million before his 2008 downfall.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2025
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The eight-part series, which will premiere on June 23, traces the rise and fall of the man who gave the Ponzi scheme its name.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The law is getting in the way of this shell game—for now.—
Karen Tumlin,
Time,
6 May 2025
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To demonstrate that point in a video, a researcher told a robot arm to put a bunch of plastic grapes into a clear Tupperware container, then proceeded to shift three containers around on the table in an approximation of a shyster’s shell game.—
Eliza Strickland,
IEEE Spectrum,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pyramid scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pyramid%20scheme. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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