Abscam

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proper noun

A code name for a sting operation set up by the FBI in the 1970s to thwart bribery in Congress.

Scrabble 12
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. UShistoricalA code name for a sting operation set up by the FBI in the 1970s to thwart bribery in Congress.

Origin

Short for Arab scam, later re-explained as Abdul scam after the name of the fictitious company involved, in response to complaints from the American-Arab Relations Committee.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Abscam. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Abscam

MLA

“Abscam.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Abscam. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Abscam,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Abscam.

Source: Abscam on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.