ponzi scheme
Use Ponzi scheme in a sentence
zi noun
a swindle in which a quick return, made up of money from new investors, on an initial investment lures the victim into much bigger risks.
Also called Ponzi game, Ponzi scheme.
Origin:
after Charles Ponzi (died 1949), the organizer of such a scheme in the U.S., 1919–20
after Charles Ponzi (died 1949), the organizer of such a scheme in the U.S., 1919–20
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To ponzi scheme
Collins
World English Dictionary
Ponzi scheme (ˈpɒnzɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| a fraudulent investment operation that pays quick returns to initial contributors using money from subsequent contributors rather than profit | |
| [After Charles Ponzi, who famously perpetrated such a scheme in the United States of America in the early 20th century] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Ponzi scheme
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
Ponzi scheme
investment scam by which early investors are paid off from the contributions of later ones, 1957, in ref. to Charles Ponzi, who perpetrated such a scam in U.S., 1919-20.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The simple fact is that the global credit bubble and its myriad of facets is a ponzi scheme of unprecedented proportions.
The ponzi scheme organizers often solicit new investors by promising and promising huge returns.
If its based on population increases its a ponzi scheme that will inevitably collapse.
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