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
- scammer noun
Etymology
Origin of scam
1960–65; originally carnival argot; of obscure origin
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.
The scam they devised at the dining hall to score free breakfasts.
From Literature
Some of these debtors don’t know who to contact to make payments, or may believe that the loan servicer trying to contact them demanding payment, which they have never heard of, is a scam.
From Barron's
The pair, from Surrey and Hampshire, are among roughly 20 people to have been scammed using the same property, the BBC understands.
From BBC
"I dreamed of becoming an idol - but what I went through felt more like a scam," Miyu, who is still a teen, said.
From BBC
Vivid examples are the Southeast Asian “pig-butchering External link” scams, in which victims are coaxed into investing in fake crypto platforms.
From Barron's
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.
