counterfeit

1 of 3

adjective

coun·​ter·​feit ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌfit How to pronounce counterfeit (audio)
1
: made in imitation of something else with intent to deceive : forged
counterfeit money
a counterfeit diamond
2
a
: insincere, feigned
counterfeit sympathy
counterfeit joy at her friend's engagement
b
: imitation
counterfeit Georgian houses

counterfeit

2 of 3

verb

counterfeited; counterfeiting; counterfeits

transitive verb

: to imitate or feign especially with intent to deceive
also : to make a fraudulent replica of
counterfeiting $20 bills

intransitive verb

1
: to try to deceive by pretense or dissembling
2
: to engage in counterfeiting something of value
counterfeiter noun

counterfeit

3 of 3

noun

1
: something counterfeit : forgery
The $20 bill turned out to be a counterfeit.
2
: something likely to be mistaken for something of higher value
Pity was a counterfeit of love …Harry Hervey
Choose the Right Synonym for counterfeit

Verb

assume, affect, pretend, simulate, feign, counterfeit, sham mean to put on a false or deceptive appearance.

assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive.

assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients

affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling.

affected an interest in art

pretend implies an overt and sustained false appearance.

pretended that nothing had happened

simulate suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something.

cosmetics that simulate a suntan

feign implies more artful invention than pretend, less specific mimicry than simulate.

feigned sickness

counterfeit implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words.

an actor counterfeiting drunkenness

sham implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible.

shammed a most unconvincing limp

Noun

imposture, fraud, sham, fake, humbug, counterfeit mean a thing made to seem other than it is.

imposture applies to any situation in which a spurious object or performance is passed off as genuine.

their claim of environmental concern is an imposture

fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.

the diary was exposed as a fraud

sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.

condemned the election as a sham

fake implies an imitation of or substitution for the genuine but does not necessarily imply dishonesty.

these jewels are fakes; the real ones are in the vault

humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.

creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public

counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.

20-dollar bills that were counterfeits

Examples of counterfeit in a Sentence

Adjective The concert ticket is counterfeit. counterfeit currency that had been passed all over town Verb They were counterfeiting money in his garage. an expert at counterfeiting money Noun the will as well as the other documents turned out to be counterfeits
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Shady events are a thing, too, as consumers are warned to beware of losing good money buying tickets for fake festivals, dowdy parties and counterfeit ticket scams. Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 26 Sep. 2024 One of the drawbacks of this cost-conscious approach is that it has been criticized for the presence of counterfeit and substandard products on its platform. Gurufocus, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
Verb
Fabrication and misrepresentation—forging documents, counterfeiting letters, making up sources, creating false identities, inventing front organizations, and deceiving audiences—were, for a century, a prominent part of the Soviet Union’s political warfare. Thomas Rid, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2024 Lawsuits over its platform counterfeiting people’s designs and concerns over its supply chain practices have whittled the chances of a U.S. IPO. Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 24 Sep. 2024
Noun
But their promises go mostly unfulfilled, and often the storefronts get shut down for violating policies around dropshipping — the selling of products to customers without ever stocking inventory — or counterfeits. Annie Palmer, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2024 Another market impacted by counterfeits is the luxury watch market. Sol Rashidi, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for counterfeit 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'counterfeit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Noun

Middle English countrefet, from Anglo-French cuntrefeit, from past participle of cuntrefere, contrefaire to imitate, from cuntre- + faire to make, from Latin facere — more at do

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of counterfeit was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near counterfeit

Cite this Entry

“Counterfeit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterfeit. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

counterfeit

1 of 3 verb
coun·​ter·​feit ˈkau̇nt-ər-ˌfit How to pronounce counterfeit (audio)
1
: to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive
counterfeiting money
2
: pretend entry 1 sense 1, feign
counterfeit enthusiasm to mask boredom
counterfeiter noun

counterfeit

2 of 3 adjective
1
: made in exact imitation of something else with the intention of deceiving : forged
counterfeit money
2
: not sincere : sham

counterfeit

3 of 3 noun
: something counterfeit : forgery

Legal Definition

counterfeit

1 of 3 adjective
coun·​ter·​feit ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌfit How to pronounce counterfeit (audio)
: made in imitation of a genuine article (as a document) without authorization and especially with intent to deceive or defraud

counterfeit

2 of 3 transitive verb
: to make an imitation of without authorization and especially with intent to deceive or defraud
whoever falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits any deedU.S. Code
counterfeiter noun

counterfeit

3 of 3 noun
: something counterfeit
all counterfeits of any coins or obligationsU.S. Code
compare forgery
Etymology

Adjective

Middle French contrefait, past participle of contrefaire to imitate, draw, paint, from contre- counter- + faire to make

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