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
The regime that jails children also profits from drugs, human trafficking, and online scams.
—
Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
Good for you, and rest in peace, queen of scams!
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
The new season finds the Shazam moving company battling corporate giant Zenithon Logistics, while Everett (Jae) drags the team through increasingly desperate schemes such as insurance scams, bogus grant applications and a basement AirBnb conversion gone wrong.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
People working in scam factories in Delhi or Kolkata or Phnom Penh can’t easily relate to their victims in Texas or Melbourne or Edinburgh.
—Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scam
Kim Aris, Time, 7 Nov. 2025
Good for you, and rest in peace, queen of scams!
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 7 Nov. 2025
The new season finds the Shazam moving company battling corporate giant Zenithon Logistics, while Everett (Jae) drags the team through increasingly desperate schemes such as insurance scams, bogus grant applications and a basement AirBnb conversion gone wrong.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025
People working in scam factories in Delhi or Kolkata or Phnom Penh can’t easily relate to their victims in Texas or Melbourne or Edinburgh.
—Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scam
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scam
Noun
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New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a federal judge Friday to dismiss a mortgage fraud case against her, calling it a vindictive and politically motivated prosecution brought at the behest of a president who regards her as an enemy.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
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Quick action can sometimes limit further loss or help investigators trace the fraud.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But cybersecurity experts believe many are coming from the same criminal organizations in Southeast Asia that have been linked to other high-profile swindles in recent years, like romance scams on dating apps.—
Shannon Pettypiece,
NBC news,
20 Oct. 2025
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Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions — collectively known as hoaxes.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But Kim Kardashian amplified a long-running conspiracy theory that the moon landing was a hoax that NASA staged.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
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Jones is a conspiracy theorist who said the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax staged by crisis actors.—
Scott Wartman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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After the 2025 playoffs are over, there should be a better understanding whether the pros outweighed the cons with the new playoff brackets.—
Cecil Joyce,
Nashville Tennessean,
11 Nov. 2025
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Roosevelt let newspaper editorials hash out the pros and cons of the voyage before making an official announcement, and the leak represented the first time congressmen (and the public) heard about the fleet’s plans to circumnavigate the globe.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Cherki is a dying breed of player, particularly now he’s been transferred to a Premier League which has moved away from off-the-cuff dribblers and towards set-play schemes.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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Another worker operates the machine’s main controller, using a programming scheme for 3D printers called G-code to tell the printer what to build and how to build it.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scam.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scam. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
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