scam

[skam]

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noun

a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; swindle.

verb (used with object), scammed, scam·ming.

to cheat or defraud with a scam.

Origin of scam

1960–65; orig. carnival argot; of obscure origin

Related formsscam·mer, noun

Can be confusedscam scan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for scamming

work, achieve, navigate, exploit, jockey, manipulate, operate, fool, lie, misinform, entice, cheat, hoodwink, dupe, betray, deceive, tempt, misrepresent, fudge, defraud

British Dictionary definitions for scamming

scam

noun

a stratagem for gain; a swindle

verb scams, scamming or scammed

(tr) to swindle (someone) by means of a trick

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for scamming

scam

1963, noun and verb, U.S. slang, a carnival term, of unknown origin. Perhaps related to 19c. British slang scamp "cheater, swindler" (see scamp (n.)).