pyramid scheme

noun

Definition of pyramid schemenext
as in Ponzi 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 pyramid scheme There’s, in fact, a lot of narrative chaos in the movie’s last third, from a pyramid scheme that ruins Junyang’s professional ego to the fact that Lydia, once she’s given birth, is basically cut out of the picture. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Feb. 2026 Traffickers charge high fees and force victims to recruit friends and family in exchange for improved conditions, furthering a pyramid scheme model, Interpol said. — Ope Adetayo, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026 The North Texas couple behind a multimillion-dollar pyramid scheme who targeted the African-American community has been found guilty by a federal jury in Sherman. — Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026 Chinese authorities have accused the group of being a pyramid scheme and a cult. — Didi Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pyramid scheme
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pyramid scheme
  1. Ponzi scheme
  2. shell game
Noun
  • 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
Definition of Ponzi scheme
Noun
  • Aside from the fact that my once-routine requests now languish for months, just asking for documents has become its own kind of shell game.
    — Al Shaw, ProPublica, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Fortunately, the authors of the study point out several things states can and should do to prevent these kinds of financial shell games.
    — Peter Ubel, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Definition of shell game

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Cite this Entry

“Pyramid scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pyramid%20scheme. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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