: an investment swindle in which some early investors are paid off with money put up by later ones in order to encourage more and bigger risks
Examples of Ponzi scheme in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What clients, online sleuths and ultimately law enforcement found was essentially a Ponzi scheme, prosecutors said.
—
Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
Zoom in: The failures led to significant issues, including the facilitation of transactions in a massive Ponzi scheme, according to FinCEN, the financial crimes enforcement arm of the Treasury Department.
—Nathan Bomey, Axios, 10 Oct. 2024
Business For Subscribers City National, ‘Bank to the Stars,’ aided a Ponzi scheme, lawsuit says
May 28, 2024
Amid the scrutiny, B. Riley in August marked down its investment in Franchise Group by up to $370 million and expects to record a loss of up to $475 million in the second quarter.
—Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2024
Critics call the digital money a giant Ponzi scheme, which benefits no one except criminals.
—Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for Ponzi scheme 
Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
Zoom in: The failures led to significant issues, including the facilitation of transactions in a massive Ponzi scheme, according to FinCEN, the financial crimes enforcement arm of the Treasury Department.
—Nathan Bomey, Axios, 10 Oct. 2024
Business For Subscribers City National, ‘Bank to the Stars,’ aided a Ponzi scheme, lawsuit says
May 28, 2024
Amid the scrutiny, B. Riley in August marked down its investment in Franchise Group by up to $370 million and expects to record a loss of up to $475 million in the second quarter.
—Laurence Darmiento, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2024
Critics call the digital money a giant Ponzi scheme, which benefits no one except criminals.
—Laurent Belsie, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for Ponzi scheme
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Ponzi scheme.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near Ponzi scheme
Cite this Entry
“Ponzi scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ponzi%20scheme. Accessed 30 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
Ponzi scheme
noun
Pon·zi scheme
ˈpän-zē-ˌskēm 
: an investment swindle in which early investors are paid with sums obtained from later ones in order to create the illusion of profitability
Etymology
Charles A. Ponzi (ca. 1882–1949), Italian-born American swindler
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share