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
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.
This elaborate scam includes setting up a time for an interview and then being asked for personal information such as a copy of your W-2 or your Social Security number.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
Even a billionaire is prepared to take Meta to trial over its hosting of advertisements that scam people out of money.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
Eventually, a selfie from Fred smiling at the game returned her to reality: the call, she realized, was an elaborate scam.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
Courtney M. Werning, a partner and attorney in Meyer Wilson Werning’s Columbus, Ohio, office, has a 93-year-old client who recently lost $1.5 million to a government-impersonation scam.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
If there was anything that terrified us as much as getting deported, it was that the principal's office would discover our address scam and send us down the road to the rough-and-tumble streets of Cupertino.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
