as in Ponzi scheme
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Recent Examples of pyramid scheme
The North Texas couple behind a multimillion-dollar pyramid scheme who targeted the African-American community has been found guilty by a federal jury in Sherman.
—
Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
Chinese authorities have accused the group of being a pyramid scheme and a cult.
—Didi Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
The Tuesday release highlighted an incident with Cambodian users urging people to enlist in a rent-a-scooter pyramid scheme with an initial text message generated by ChatGPT.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 6 Aug. 2025
The cure for loneliness pitched by a guru (Don Cheadle, unrecognizable in prosthetics) turns out to be a pyramid scheme.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for pyramid scheme
Brian Womack, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026
Chinese authorities have accused the group of being a pyramid scheme and a cult.
—Didi Kirsten Tatlow, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
The Tuesday release highlighted an incident with Cambodian users urging people to enlist in a rent-a-scooter pyramid scheme with an initial text message generated by ChatGPT.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 6 Aug. 2025
The cure for loneliness pitched by a guru (Don Cheadle, unrecognizable in prosthetics) turns out to be a pyramid scheme.
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for pyramid scheme
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pyramid scheme
Noun
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The office of First Liberty Building and Loan, which federal officials allege was a Ponzi scheme, is shown on Thursday, July 10, 2025 in Newnan, Georgia.—
Madeline Montgomery,
CBS News,
1 Apr. 2026
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The existence of the private independent school was plunged into uncertainty at the start of this month when bankers in Boston flagged potential fraud and lawsuits accused the school's founder of running it like a Ponzi scheme.—
Patrick Anderson,
The Providence Journal,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This is more than just a shell game.—
Gal Beckerman,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2026
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The transfer shell game The problems compound when ICE transfers detainees without notice, a practice attorneys said is a kind of shell game designed to frustrate legal challenges.—
Ben Fenwick,
Oklahoma Watch,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pyramid scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pyramid%20scheme. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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