scam
Americannoun
-
scams
plural
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of scam
1960–65; originally carnival argot; of obscure origin
Explanation
A scam is a sneaky or dishonest plan that's meant to con someone. A diet scam, for example, falsely claims that people will lose weight if they buy special pills or drinks. A scam is basically a hoax dressed up to look like a real business plan, worthwhile invention, or investment idea. Scams are almost always designed to make money for their creators. You can also use the word as a verb: "His evil plan was to scam people into buying fake tickets to the baseball game." Word experts know that scam came from US carnival slang, but beyond that its origins are a mystery.
Vocabulary lists containing scam
Smoke and Mirrors: The Lingo of Illusion and Deception
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"Imperfect Me"
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Simply Scandalous!
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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.
See Examples For:
This is one of “South Park’s” favorite arrangements: everyone has correctly identified one small piece of the scam and nevertheless becomes part of it.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
There was no conclusive proof the scam was powered by AI, but experts have said it would not have been possible five years ago.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Revolut called the incident “a sophisticated external impersonation scam where an unauthorized third party utilized a legitimate government agency domain email to submit fraudulent requests for information.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
One victim in Missouri reportedly lost more than $16 million, while millions of dollars in suspected scam proceeds were allegedly laundered through cryptocurrency.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
“All right, man, what kinda scam you got going on here?”
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
The FBI reports that over 1 million Americans contacted the bureau last year to complain that they’d been targeted by online scams of one type or another.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Andy Fryers who coordinates Abergavenny Food Festival said the number and credibility of the scams it had seen had made things "much more difficult" for them this year.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
While Johnson built his case, Monk wrote to the president and U.S. governors, pushing for more attention to prison-based scams.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The digital divide can also pose a real threat, leaving older people vulnerable to high-tech crimes such as online scams or limiting their access to medical services, experts say.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
Once in a while I’d leak stuff about phishing scams.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
Working with such a learned person will prevent being scammed by a glitzy commercial.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
But with high-value products comes risk - and Glen has warned of Pokémon fans being scammed around the release of the anniversary range.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
In many cases, the account holders hadn’t yet realized they were being scammed, people who participated in the sprint said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Legendary Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith is among the co-defendants in a lawsuit by a Native American investment firm that claims it was scammed out of $2.5 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
We hadn’t scammed Robbie, but we’d worked him in a way that felt downright sleazy, and I’d ended up in a tight spot.
From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
The soaking and scamming of undergrads and grad students.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Here’s the common sense: This isn’t a problem of scamming students or lazy teachers, though of course both exist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
In a supreme irony, as senators Ly Young Phat and Kok An took part in voting for a new law, which the Cambodian government says will harshly punish those involved in scamming.
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2026
Jetton warned that even low-skilled criminals can purchase ready-made hacking and scamming tools on the dark web -- and anyone with a smartphone can be a target.
From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026
“They were scamming you. Girls scam guys all the time with that. Kerri was listening in on the extension.”
From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor
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.
