Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

scam

[skam]
See more synonyms for scam on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; swindle.
Show More
verb (used with object), scammed, scam·ming.
  1. to cheat or defraud with a scam.
Show More

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. 2018

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
  1. a stratagem for gain; a swindle
Show More
verb scams, scamming or scammed
  1. (tr) to swindle (someone) by means of a trick
Show More
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.)).

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper