Ponzi scheme

noun

Definition of Ponzi schemenext
as in pyramid scheme

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of Ponzi scheme Related Stories Horwitz is serving a 20-year sentence over what federal prosecutors described as a $650 million Ponzi scheme. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 4 June 2026 Redding fraudster Matthew Piercey was sentenced Thursday to 30 years in federal prison for a $35 million Ponzi scheme that ran from 2016 to 2020. — Sacbee.com, 23 May 2026 The Miami Herald has previously reported on how OneCoin was later investigated in multiple countries for perpetrating a Ponzi scheme worth $4 billion, $400 million of which Scott helped launder. — Shirsho Dasgupta, Miami Herald, 22 June 2026 Other agencies and investigations Previous reporting by the Washington Post revealed that Epstein had been named in an investigation in the 1990s into Towers Financial, a notorious Ponzi scheme, but was never charged. — Daniel Ruetenik, CBS News, 19 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for Ponzi scheme
Recent Examples of Synonyms for Ponzi scheme
pyramid scheme
Noun
  • Among them was the founder of a major pyramid scheme that defrauded thousands of Colombians of their savings, as well as Alex Saab, a Colombian businessman with close ties to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was later extradited to the United States on money-laundering charges.
    — John Otis, NPR, 21 June 2026
  • Attention online—which is to say, the modern entertainment industry at large—can look a bit like a pyramid scheme, with each lower layer trying to siphon a segment of audience away from the more famous one above.
    — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2026
Definition of pyramid scheme

Browse Nearby Words

pony up
Ponzi scheme
Ponzi schemes
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Cite this Entry

“Ponzi scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/Ponzi%20scheme. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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