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noun
1.
a confidence game or other fraudulent scheme, especially for making a quick profit; swindle.
verb (used with object)
2.
to cheat or defraud with a scam.
Origin:
1960–65; orig. carnival argot; of obscure origin
1960–65; orig. carnival argot; of obscure origin
Related forms
scam·mer, noun
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.
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Link To scam
Collins
World English Dictionary
scam (skæm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a stratagem for gain; a swindle |
| —vb , scams, scamming, scammed | |
| 2. | (tr) to swindle (someone) by means of a trick |
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
Scam
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
scam
1963, n. and v., U.S. slang, a carnival term, of unknown origin. Perhaps related to 19c. British slang scamp "cheater, swindler" (see scamp (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
scam definition[skæm]
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
It's the oldest scam in movement building: tell people what they want and expect to hear and you will gain followers.
The ethanol projects are a scam to funnel money to agribusinesses.
It's legal, but it's a scam without any social benefits.
One thing that is notable: the next biggest scam is an order of magnitude less significant.
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