pyramid scheme

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 So, like all pyramid schemes, the only people who make money are the people who come in early. Dwyer Murphy june 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025 Such enterprises invite non-salaried workers to sell goods and then also earn commissions by recruiting more salespeople; the Federal Trade Commission has over the years outlined subtle legal differences between MLMs and pyramid schemes. Lora Kelley, The Atlantic, 21 May 2025 Among them, pyramid schemes, membership fee fakes, credit repair cons, dubious health offers, fictitious diploma schools and illegitimate gaming services. Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025 Mia Love, Daughter of Haitian Immigrants, Will Be GOP's First Black Woman in Congress Love served two terms in the House of Representatives and notably worked on bills focused on banking regulation, pyramid schemes and immigration. Meredith Kile, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pyramid scheme
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pyramid scheme
Noun
  • Andrew Jacobus, 64, was jailed at the Federal Detention Center in Miami on charges of operating a Ponzi scheme, wire fraud and money laundering in suspicion of stealing over $94 million from investors.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 July 2025
  • An investment advisor who lives in a Coconut Grove luxury high-rise condo was arrested Thursday on charges of operating a Ponzi scheme and swindling tens of millions of dollars from Venezuelan investors and two Catholic dioceses in the South American country, according to a federal indictment.
    Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 18 July 2025
Noun
  • Without clear policy guardrails, independent verification, and ethical use, carbon capture risks becoming a shell game, boosting ESG optics while emissions continue unchecked.
    Dianne Plummer, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
  • This is a shell game — follow the ball as the three cups rotate.
    Alexander Ooms, Denver Post, 27 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pyramid scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pyramid%20scheme. Accessed 28 Jul. 2025.

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