: 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 & GazetteSynonyms
Examples 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
Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
The Federal Trade Commission warns that fake emails may ask you to click a link, which then takes you to a scam website that looks official but is not legitimate.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 19 Nov. 2024
Meriem Mahdhi, WIRED, 1 Nov. 2024
Pacino plays a wheeling-dealing art buyer who attempts to scam Modigliani out of a painting.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scam 
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Noun
Asking Eric: Is this a scam, or just someone who shares my husband's name?
—Devan Patel, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
The Federal Trade Commission warns that fake emails may ask you to click a link, which then takes you to a scam website that looks official but is not legitimate.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
These schemes have been used to scam many Nigerians and others over the years, according to HumAngle.
—Meriem Mahdhi, WIRED, 1 Nov. 2024
Pacino plays a wheeling-dealing art buyer who attempts to scam Modigliani out of a painting.
—Zac Ntim, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scam
Dictionary Entries Near scam
Cite this Entry
“Scam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scam. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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