A fraudulent scheme where earlier investors are paid with the money taken from new investors, giving the impression that the scheme is a viable investment.

An illicit money-making investment scheme whereby early investors are paid primarily or wholly by later investors. Eventually all such schemes fail to the detriment of recent (later) investors.

(South Africa) A carpool; an arrangement whereby several people travel together in the same car.

plural of pyramid scheme

plural of grand scheme

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see grand, scheme. / (idiomatic) The totality of the situation approached objectively; the big picture.

(chiefly Bangladesh, India, Pakistan) A timetabled academic curriculum.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see scheme, theory. / (algebraic geometry) The branch of mathematics that concerns schemes (algebraic varieties equipped with the Zariski topology).

(category theory, scheme theory) A group object that is an object in a category of schemes; a scheme that has certain properties that generalise the concept of group.

plural of group scheme