scam
Americannoun
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a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; swindle.
verb (used with object)
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to cheat or defraud with a scam.
noun
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a stratagem for gain; a swindle
verb
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(tr) to swindle (someone) by means of a trick
Usage
What does scam mean? A scam is a deceptive scheme or trick used to cheat someone out of something, especially money.Scam is also a verb meaning to cheat someone in such a way.Example: Banks will never call you asking for your credit card number or social security number over the phone. If someone calls and asks for information like that, it’s a scam.
Other Word Forms
- scammer noun
Etymology
Origin of scam
1960–65; originally carnival argot; of obscure origin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Thai military brought us there because they said they wanted the world to see just how big the scam industry had become in Cambodia.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
EU prosecutors first detailed the scam last May, accusing subsidy beneficiaries of making claims for land that they did not own and exaggerating the number of animals on farms.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told AFP in February that scam centres were destroying his country's economy and giving the nation a bad name, vowing to "clean this out".
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
Fake cops, fake judges: The Hollywood-style scam poised to go global.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
If there was anything that terrified us as much as getting deported, it was that the principal's office would discover our address scam and send us down the road to the rough-and-tumble streets of Cupertino.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.