scam
noun
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Definition of scam
(Entry 1 of 2)
scam
verbDefinition of scam (Entry 2 of 2)
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Synonyms for scam
Synonyms: Noun
bunco (or bunko), con, fiddle [chiefly British], flimflam, fraud, gyp, hustle, shell game, sting, swindle
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Examples of scam in a Sentence
Noun
She was the victim of an insurance scam. a sophisticated credit card scamVerb
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: Noun
Leah Remini is taking advantage of these people as pawns in her moneymaking scam. — Jodi Guglielmi, PEOPLE.com, "Danny Masterson Accuser Chrissie Bixler Claims He Was 'Laughing' After Drugging, Assaulting Her," 27 Aug. 2019 To report a scam, contact Beshear's office at 888-432-9257 and file a complaint online. — Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, "Andy Beshear warns of a new scam targeting Kentucky's teachers and schools," 22 Aug. 2019 Ice is also a cheap way to get the primary liquid to hit the etched line sooner, and the customer is wise to that scam. — Rob Long, National Review, "In Praise of Free Refills," 22 Aug. 2019 In 2012, Debby Montgomery Johnson fell victim to an online scam involving a Nigerian scheme. — Jamie Yuccas, CBS News, "80 indicted in online fraud scheme that stole millions," 22 Aug. 2019 The Times messaged the person and presented its reporting about his scam. — Jack Nicas, New York Times, "Facebook Connected Her to a Tattooed Soldier in Iraq. Or So She Thought.," 28 July 2019 When police intervention become slow and unreliable, a network of Jackson’s victims began to investigate all of his scams. — Kynala Phillips, Essence, "Longtime Scammer Broke Hearts And Drained Bank Accounts," 17 June 2019 There’s a big scam, might be a mining license, might be land. — Recode Staff, Recode, "How India fits into the global economy: It may not be China, but at least it isn’t Russia," 4 Aug. 2018 To check a business, do research or report a scam, go to bbb.org or call 208-342-4649. — Veronica Craker, idahostatesman, "Your business might deserve an honor, but be wary of ‘vanity awards’ seeking money," 16 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
But, outside its relevant social commentary about suburban decay, On Becoming a God in Central Florida beats with a wicked streak humor, as Krystal begins to scam her way through the ranks of the illicit operation in increasingly bonkers ways. — Ew Staff, EW.com, "What to Watch this weekend: More deaths and drama — get ready to binge 13 Reasons Why," 23 Aug. 2019 Venus’s Citroën arrives at a Burger King, where her gang scams the restaurant out of a free meal. — Joshua Barone, New York Times, "Review: A New ‘Tannhäuser’ Brings Burger King to Bayreuth," 26 July 2019 Months after business owners and other taxpayers have filed their returns with the IRS, thieves try to scam people out of money or personal information. — Fortune, "What the IRS Wants You to Know About Tax Scams," 12 Aug. 2019 But in Maryland a group of residents managed to scam the federal government out of $8 million in relief funds designated for those who needed it most, according to prosecutors. — Lynh Bui, BostonGlobe.com, "Group swindled $8 million designated for hurricane and wildfire victims, prosecutors say," 5 Aug. 2019 At Turner’s neighborhood cigar store, there’s a street hustler who scams passers-by into playing Pass the Lady, but Turner never gets drawn in. — Constance Grady, Vox, "Colson Whitehead’s spare, riveting, horrifying Nickel Boys," 18 July 2019 Complaints about government imposter scams are skyrocketing, reaching a record high in May, according to a new FTC report: Since 2014, consumers have complained about imposter scams far more than any other type of fraud. — NBC News, "Get a call from the Social Security Administration? It's the latest government imposter scam," 13 July 2019 If approved, calls and texts that use spoofing to imitate a different phone number would be unlawful and would allow the FCC to bring enforcement actions against bad actors outside of the country who are looking to defraud or scam people in the US. — Makena Kelly, The Verge, "Ajit Pai has a new proposal to go after international robocallers," 8 July 2019 The book’s title refers to Troy Augustus Loudermilk, who scams his way into the program with the help of his friend Harry. — The New Yorker, "What We’re Reading This Summer," 4 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scam.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for scam
scam
noun
English Language Learners Definition of scam
(Entry 1 of 2)
scam
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of scam (Entry 2 of 2)
See the full definition for scam in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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