Abscam
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of Abscam
Ab(dul Enterprises Ltd.) + scam, from the name of the business used as a front by the FBI
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Former U.S. congressman was convicted in the Abscam bribery scandal in the late 1970s.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 31, 2023
Scroll forward a decade later into the early 1980s and we get to the FBI sting operation known as Abscam, popularized in the 2013 feature film "American Hustle."
From Salon • May 12, 2020
In the Watergate break-in and coverup, Mr. Cacheris represented former attorney general John N. Mitchell; in Abscam, which involved federal agents masquerading as wealthy oil sheikhs offering bribes to members of Congress, he represented then-Rep.
From Washington Post • Sep. 26, 2019
The number exceeds two dozen, going back to the FBI’s Abscam investigation of 1980, which netted seven congressional lawmakers.
From Washington Times • Oct. 21, 2018
It’s true that we have had our share of spectacular episodes: the Whiskey Ring and Boss Tweed in the 19th century; Teapot Dome and Abscam in the 20th.
From New York Times • Jul. 10, 2018
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
