scam

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English

Etymology

US carnival slang. Possibly from scamp (swindler, cheater).

The word "scam" became common use among the US "drug culture" in early 1980 after Operation ABSCAM, an FBI sting operation directed at public officials, became public.

Pronunciation

Noun

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scam (plural scams)

  1. A fraudulent deal.
    That marketing scheme looks like a scam to me.
  2. Something that is promoted using scams.
    That car was a scam.

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Verb

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  1. (transitive) To defraud or embezzle.
    They tried to scam her out of her savings.

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