: a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation
an insurance scam
scammed; scamming; scams
1
: to deceive and defraud (someone)
… the law firm had got the lucrative job of defending the corporate head of a savings and loan that had scammed another thousand or so people out of their savings …—
Joseph Wambaugh
Joseph Wambaugh2
: to obtain (something, such as money) by a scam
A Boston hedge fund manager who scammed millions of dollars from friends, family and other investors in what authorities say was a Ponzi scheme has been sent to prison for more than 14 years.—The Worcester (Massachusetts) Telegram & Gazette
The Worcester (Massachusetts) Telegram & GazetteExamples of scam in a Sentence
Noun
She was the victim of an insurance scam.
a sophisticated credit card scam
Verb
The company scammed hundreds of people out of their life savings.
I could tell they were scamming you and charging too much.
They scammed a lot of money from unwary customers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2025
But just as digital scams are growing more sophisticated and costly, so too is return fraud.
—Marie Elizabeth Aloisi, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
From February to October 2019, Mixon used his financing business to scam 70 people and a financial institution out of $600,000 to fund a gambling addiction, officials said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scam
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.
Noun
Kern stood accused of numerous scams around the globe involving women, luxury cars.
—Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2025
But just as digital scams are growing more sophisticated and costly, so too is return fraud.
—Marie Elizabeth Aloisi, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
February 28, 2025 8:56 AM Read Next National Man scams investors out of $1.6 million, builds himself a home in Michigan, feds say
February 27, 2025 9:44 AM
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 9:53 AM.
—Julia Marnin, Sacramento Bee, 11 Mar. 2025
From February to October 2019, Mixon used his financing business to scam 70 people and a financial institution out of $600,000 to fund a gambling addiction, officials said.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scam
Cite this Entry
“Scam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scam. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share