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get-rich-quick scheme

get-rich-quick scheme

1 4.6
A dishonest plan that promises to make you rich quickly with little work
  • noun
  • /ɡɛt rɪtʃ kwɪk skiːm/
translation icon : esquema para hacerse rico rápidamente
  • one get-rich-quick scheme

Bitcoin was the kind of get rich quick scheme for our generation.

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Examples

  • Bitcoin was the kind of get rich quick scheme for our generation.

  • I said there is the most guaranteed legal get rich quick scheme in history.

  • Okay, I know you think this is just one of my get rich quick schemes, but I'm doing it right this time.

  • If this is another get-rich-quick scheme...

  • The problem is too many people are out looking for a get-rich-quick scheme, and Sitesell is definitely not it.

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  • Many people lost their savings to a fraudulent get-rich-quick scheme that promised easy profits.

  • He realized that investing in a get-rich-quick scheme was a quick way to lose money instead of making it.

  • Skeptics warn that most get-rich-quick schemes are too good to be true and often lead to financial loss.

Synonyms

scam
vsget-rich-quick scheme
  • NSFW
294 3.0

A dishonest plan to get money by tricking people

promises rapid wealth and ease rather than just general deception
hustle
vsget-rich-quick scheme
  • Slang
16 8.0

A dishonest plan to trick people and take their money

often focuses on small dishonest deals rather than wide promises of quick riches
Ponzi scheme
vsget-rich-quick scheme
11 4.3

A plan that pays early investors with money from later investors instead of real profits

promises high returns quickly while relying on new funds rather than profit
pyramid scheme
vsget-rich-quick scheme
10 8.5

A dishonest plan where people pay to join and only earn money by recruiting others, not by selling things

focuses on quick gains from recruitment rather than real product or service
fraudulent scheme
vsget-rich-quick scheme
1 6.3

An illegal plan to get money by tricking people

promises quick wealth with little effort rather than general illegality
pump-and-dump scheme
vsget-rich-quick scheme
  • Jargon
1 9.5

A plan that uses false news to raise a stock price and sell shares, leaving other investors with losses

seeks fast profit from market manipulation rather than promising easy wealth to victims

Antonyms

355 1.6

A lot of steady effort to achieve something difficult

How Legitimate

legitimate
602 4.2
speculative
  • Specialized
20 7.3
get-rich-quick scheme
1 4.6
scam
  • NSFW
294 3.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

get-rich-quick + scheme

The meaning is directly compositional: 'get rich quick' clearly means 'become rich rapidly' and 'scheme' means 'a plan', so together they denote a plan to become rich quickly. This is a predictable combination following common English compounding and should be inferable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Get-rich-quick scheme comes from old ads and travelling salesmen who promised a secret plan to get rich quick, a clear image of someone selling a fast way to make money overnight. Because these offers often turned out to be a trick, the phrase now means 'a plan that promises fast money but is usually not honest'.