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⇱ SCAM Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster


: a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation
an insurance scam

scam

2 of 2

verb

scammed; scamming; scams

transitive verb

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 β€¦β€”πŸ‘ Image
Joseph Wambaugh
2
: 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.β€”πŸ‘ Image
The Worcester (Massachusetts) Telegram & Gazette

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
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
An alleged $20 million insurance scam on Mount Everest saw climbers subjected to staged rescues and admitted to hospitals across Kathmandu in a scheme to fraudulently claim insurance money, Nepali authorities say. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Manish Paudel, NBC news, 3 Apr. 2026
Shah served less than three years of her 6Β½-year sentence after pleading guilty in July 2022 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a nationwide investment scam that targeted mostly elderly, vulnerable women. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026
Verb
Why DocuSign scams work so well DocuSign is used by millions of businesses and government agencies. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Mar. 2026
But the sites were actually a ruse to scam customers out of their money, according to law enforcement in Europe. β€”πŸ‘ Image
Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scam

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun

1958, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scam was in 1958

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

β€œScam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scam. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

scam

noun
ˈskam
: a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation
lost $500 in a business scam
scam verb
Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

More from Merriam-Webster on scam

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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