: 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 & GazetteExamples 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
Raven Brunner, People.com, 20 July 2025
Some robocalls sound more and more realistic as technology progresses and can cause someone to fall victim to a scam.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 25 July 2025
Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 July 2025
Security researchers have uncovered more than 120,000 fake Amazon websites designed to scam excited shoppers during the retail giant's annual shopping event.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scam
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Noun
Monroe now hopes that sharing her family's story will keep others from falling victim to this and other similar scams.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 20 July 2025
Some robocalls sound more and more realistic as technology progresses and can cause someone to fall victim to a scam.
—Cody Godwin, USA Today, 25 July 2025
Verb
Set against the backdrop of Costa Rica and inspired by true events, 52nd State follows an IT worker who discovers his job is a front for a criminal operation that scams elderly Americans.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 14 July 2025
Security researchers have uncovered more than 120,000 fake Amazon websites designed to scam excited shoppers during the retail giant's annual shopping event.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scam
Cite this Entry
“Scam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scam. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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