1
as in counterfeit
being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud
arrested for peddling "designer" watches that were fake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in synthetic
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials
opposed to the unnecessary killing of animals, she'll consider wearing only fake furs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
the boss's pitiful attempts at humor were met with fake laughter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in double
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
the fake friendliness of the sales rep made me want to gag
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in hoax
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
experts declared that one of the museum's prized paintings was actually a fake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
a hidden-camera investigation revealed that the so-called psychic was a fake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to counterfeit
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive
pranksters faked giant footprints and then claimed that they had seen Bigfoot
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
while running for class president, Dan was not above faking friendship with people just to get their votes
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to concoct
to perform, make, or do without preparation
if you give me the gist of the plan, I can probably fake enough for the speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to evade
to elude (an opponent in a sports contest) by making a deceptive or agile movement
the running back faked the defense by stepping to his left and then quickly cutting to the right
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of fake
Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 18 June 2026
Did Parker's family know about her fake pregnancy?
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
With deepfake attacks only showing signs of increasing, organizations must accept that no automated or human detection system is foolproof, and that resilience requires shifting focus from spotting the fake to slowing and containing the abuse of trust.
—Steve Piper, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Dana Taylor, USA Today, 17 June 2026
The new Netflix documentary Maternal Instinct details the chilling 2020 murder of Reagan Simmons-Hancock at the hands of Taylor Parker, who faked a pregnancy for 10 months before attempting to steal Simmons-Hancock’s unborn child.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fake
Adjective
Writers catalogue these fictional phenomena — which range from the terrifying to the downright bizarre — in the form of fake records, studies, research documents, and logs, all of which are indexed in a sprawling archive.
—Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 18 June 2026
Did Parker's family know about her fake pregnancy?
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 18 June 2026
Noun
Those two running plays opened up the play-action fake for quarterback Malik Willis, who is often praised for his mobility, and on his first throw Willis found Jalen Tolbert 20 yards downfield for a completion.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 2 June 2026
With deepfake attacks only showing signs of increasing, organizations must accept that no automated or human detection system is foolproof, and that resilience requires shifting focus from spotting the fake to slowing and containing the abuse of trust.
—Steve Piper, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
Verb
Ages are easy to fake, since they're usually based on what users enter themselves.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 17 June 2026
The new Netflix documentary Maternal Instinct details the chilling 2020 murder of Reagan Simmons-Hancock at the hands of Taylor Parker, who faked a pregnancy for 10 months before attempting to steal Simmons-Hancock’s unborn child.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for fake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fake
Adjective
-
The counterfeit surgeon was waiting for his Starbucks order at JFK when Port Authority cops caught up with him.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
18 June 2026
-
Lori Ann Talens, of Virginia Beach, Virgina, used a computer to design, create and produce a wide variety of counterfeit coupons in her Virginia Beach home, according to court documents.—
Charlotte Hazard,
Baltimore Sun,
18 June 2026
Adjective
-
Much like the Juliette bag, this faux leather weekender from Wogarl combines style and functionality, with enough room to fit a week’s worth of clothing and a 21-inch laptop.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
17 June 2026
-
The rooms feature Bianco Bianchi faux marble scagliola pieces, precious tapestries by artist Elena Carozzi, Impruneta terracotta flooring and bathrooms in Cipollino marble from Carrara.—
Andrea Onate,
Footwear News,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
Public health officials have been preparing for months, said Philadelphia’s Raval-Nelson, including with mock emergency drills and communications with counterparts around the country.—
Lauran Neergaard,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
The mock-neck tank pairs effortlessly with jeans, shorts, or skirts, while the floral wide-leg pants can stand on their own with a simple white tee.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Harper finished with three hits, which included a solo shot, his 17th this season, and a double, giving him five extra base hits in the last two games.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
-
The right-hander surrendered a solo home run to left fielder Casey Schmitt and a run-scoring double to center fielder Drew Gilbert in the fourth, then put runners on the corners.—
Tyler Carmona,
Miami Herald,
21 June 2026
Noun
-
The Pepsi-tampering mystery was unraveling today as several claims of objects found in soda cans were pronounced hoaxes.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
-
False claims about the virus, including that the epidemic was a hoax, have proliferated across the Central African nation, accelerating the spread of the disease in overcrowded displacement camps where hundreds of people often share a toilet, Reuters reported.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Rollins said federal authorities have made 900 arrests for SNAP fraud during the last year and recovered $132 million in restitution.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
-
The future involves building robust connectors between merchant systems and UCP, and developing new solutions for agent identity and fraud detection.—
Josipa Majic Predin,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
At the same time, companies are forging strategic partnerships.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
22 June 2026
-
Six homeowners at the 43-story, 643-unit building told the Miami Herald their ballots were forged.—
Linda Robertson,
Miami Herald,
22 June 2026
Verb
-
Aegon, reeling from his brother’s betrayal and, likely, the early stages of opiate withdrawal, refuses to pledge (pretend) fealty to the Blacks and so Larys reveals Aegon’s identity.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
22 June 2026
-
But for a little while in Pinehurst, a room full of journalists and a parking lot full of golf fans agreed to pretend otherwise.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
