pyramid scheme

noun

: a usually illegal operation in which participants pay to join and profit mainly from payments made by subsequent participants

Examples of pyramid scheme in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Our society is a pyramid scheme, with the young supporting the old. —

Emma Green, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024 There’s a whole pyramid scheme of sorts, and there’s all these other parts of the book that didn’t fit into this story. —

Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 9 Sep. 2024 Like a pyramid scheme, Patriot Front effectively paid for its operations by amassing new members. —

David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2024 This came as welcome news to consumers, who drew comparisons between the business concept and problematic pyramid schemes, which rely on profiting from sign-up fees rather than the sale of actual products. —

Jacqueline Kilikita, refinery29.com, 28 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pyramid scheme

Word History

First Known Use

1949, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of pyramid scheme was in 1949

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pyramid scheme.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pyramid%20scheme. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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