Etymologically
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scam

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 15:35. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /skæm/[1]

Etymology

It is American slang, a carnival term of unknown origin.[2][3][4][5] Etymonline suggests a link with 19th-century British slang scamp, a cheat or swindler.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A trick or swindle, and the verb, to cheat: 1963, in American English.[2][3][6][4]

Semantic evolution

A story, rumour or piece of information was also a scam from 1964,[6] and a fraudulent bankruptcy from 1966.[6]

Timeline

  • 1963 – a swindle; to swindle.[2][6]
  • 1964 – a rumour, information.[6]
  • 1966 – a fraudulent bankruptcy.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A dishonest scheme; a swindle.

Verb

  1. To cheat or swindle someone.

Word family

  • scammer
  • scamster

Usage notes

Older words spelled scam are unrelated: an obsolete form of shame,[6] and in Shetland a flaw, crack or injury.[7]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)