pyramid scheme

[ pir-uh-mid skeem ]

noun
  1. any moneymaking scheme, usually illicit, in which each participating investor recruits others and then collects from what those invest, so that an ever-increasing number of participants generate more and more profit for those who recruited them:She invited me to talk about a new "business opportunity," and ended up trying aggressively to hook me into a pyramid scheme.

Origin of pyramid scheme

1
First recorded in 1945–50

Words Nearby pyramid scheme

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024