scam
Americannoun
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:
Every council member present weighed in on the scam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
A quick social media video can result in "10 patients for consultations tomorrow," Kachkinbayev said, warning that the offers "can sometimes be a real scam."
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Below them is John, in prison regarding the aforementioned gas scam; a career con man, he skimmed that missing $10 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
I fell victim to an online dating scam.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
My sister had already tried to swap her chickpeas for my fruit leather, which was a scam.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
They fall victim to Ponzi schemes and other scams.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Historically, authorities have clawed back pilfered funds about 75% of the time when scams were reported within 72 hours, said the FBI’s Lynch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
It said this includes mandating tech firms ban those who post scams and prevent them from creating new accounts, as well as those who impersonate real businesses.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Trip-related problems are so common, in fact, that consumer advocate Christopher Elliott has stitched an entire career out of resolving them — from timeshare scams to horrible airline customer service and beyond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Once in a while I’d leak stuff about phishing scams.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
“I didn’t get scammed, they got scammed,” Chief Executive Alyssa Bowker said of the town.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Sam Little, 35 from Yarm, near Middlesborough, has revealed he was scammed out of £40,000 life savings, an experience he describes as "gut-wrenching".
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Tatiana Maslany and Jake Johnson spoke about their new dark comedy thriller series on Apple TV and what they would do in a scenario where they are being scammed.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
When even seasoned travelers are scammed by imposters using online search ads.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 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
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
But then you also see headlines about everyone’s scamming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 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.
