coun·ter·feit
ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌfit 
counterfeited; counterfeiting; counterfeits
: to imitate or feign especially with intent to deceive
also
: to make a fraudulent replica of
counterfeiting $20 bills
1
: to try to deceive by pretense or dissembling
2
: to engage in counterfeiting something of value
counterfeiter
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
Harry Hervey
Synonyms
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 WebTy Roush, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
According to court documents in San Diego federal court, similar groups operating locally have installed card skimmers, usually known as overlay skimmers, by installing a counterfeit faceplate over the top of a legitimate card reader.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Nov. 2023
There are a number of counterfeit whiskies floating around, unfortunately, so Edrington, the company that owns The Macallan, wanted to make sure this one was the real deal.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2023
The hospitalizations are among 42 reports to the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System that mention use of counterfeit semaglutide from around the world.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023
The cargo facility is monitoring large shipments to track for any counterfeit items.
—Alexandra Skores, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
Sow and Jalloh ran a large-scale counterfeit goods trafficking operation out of the storage facility from January 2023 through Oct. 20, according to the allegations contained in the indictment and other publicly available information.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 16 Nov. 2023
Some online pharmacies may offer additional discounts or promotional offers that further reduce the cost of generic Viagra.
Cons:
There is a risk of encountering fraudulent online pharmacies that sell counterfeit medications.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2023
And officials picked up Kelly in January of that same year in Texas, and charged him with possession of counterfeit bonds.
—Sean Williams, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2023
Sarah Scoles, Popular Science, 2 Nov. 2023
The tussles point to a pattern—there were many instances before Parmigiano-Reggiano counterfeits and there may be many after, experts have warned.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2023
Not only is the brand flat-out counterfeited and sold in fake packaging, but someone who just wants the smell can also pay around 50 bucks for a nearly identical scent in a budget bottle.
—Jane Daly, Harper's BAZAAR, 13 July 2023
Federal prosecutors charged her in January with one count of stealing or counterfeiting keys and two counts of mail theft, charges that could have led to a prison sentence.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2023
Tackling Chinese counterfeiting ‘epidemic’ Timmons said Congress needs to address the issue of Chinese companies making counterfeit versions of American products.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2023
After all, there was no way to counterfeit what went off at the park jam.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2023
And with hard tickets, they could be counterfeited.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2023
They can also be easily counterfeited using modern technology.
—Gary Singer, Sun Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2023
Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 9 Nov. 2023
The records do not prove whether the counterfeits caused the complaints or might have been incidental to the report.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023
Other Considerations There have been KF94 masks for sale on Amazon, but Collins was concerned about potential counterfeits.
—Korin Miller, Health, 31 Oct. 2023
Despite all of Adidas’s attempts to get its official Messi jerseys into stores as quickly as possible, the clamor for them — any version of them — has proved so great that counterfeits have flooded the global market to meet the shortfall.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2023
The explosion in dupes has also partly come from the surge in e-commerce, said Daniel Shapiro, senior vice president of strategic partnerships and brand relationships at Red Points, which helps companies fight counterfeits, piracy, impersonation and distribution abuse.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 12 June 2023
To fight counterfeits, some food makers are turning to chips, not of the edible kind.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Sep. 2023
One company now has the power to wreck its workers’ bodies (in many towns, Amazon is the only major employer), choke our streets with delivery vans, and ruin small businesses by inviting counterfeits or cloning their products.
—Cory Doctorow, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023
The Fraud by Zadie Smith Buy on Bookshop Penguin Press, 464 pp., $29.00
Each of Smith’s characters is wary of fakes, counterfeits, and illusions.
—Lynn Steger Strong, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2023
See More
Adjective
Tangent There are 38 reports of counterfeit semaglutide in the FDA’s Adverse Events Reporting System between 2020 and October 5.
—Ty Roush, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
According to court documents in San Diego federal court, similar groups operating locally have installed card skimmers, usually known as overlay skimmers, by installing a counterfeit faceplate over the top of a legitimate card reader.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Nov. 2023
There are a number of counterfeit whiskies floating around, unfortunately, so Edrington, the company that owns The Macallan, wanted to make sure this one was the real deal.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2023
The hospitalizations are among 42 reports to the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System that mention use of counterfeit semaglutide from around the world.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023
The cargo facility is monitoring large shipments to track for any counterfeit items.
—Alexandra Skores, Dallas News, 14 Sep. 2023
Sow and Jalloh ran a large-scale counterfeit goods trafficking operation out of the storage facility from January 2023 through Oct. 20, according to the allegations contained in the indictment and other publicly available information.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 16 Nov. 2023
Some online pharmacies may offer additional discounts or promotional offers that further reduce the cost of generic Viagra.
Cons:
There is a risk of encountering fraudulent online pharmacies that sell counterfeit medications.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2023
And officials picked up Kelly in January of that same year in Texas, and charged him with possession of counterfeit bonds.
—Sean Williams, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2023
Verb
There’s much research out there on those basic matching tasks, and attackers are also adept at framing others (for example, counterfeiting Shakespeare) and obfuscating their own identities (being Shakespeare but writing differently to throw detectives off the scent).
—Sarah Scoles, Popular Science, 2 Nov. 2023
The tussles point to a pattern—there were many instances before Parmigiano-Reggiano counterfeits and there may be many after, experts have warned.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2023
Not only is the brand flat-out counterfeited and sold in fake packaging, but someone who just wants the smell can also pay around 50 bucks for a nearly identical scent in a budget bottle.
—Jane Daly, Harper's BAZAAR, 13 July 2023
Federal prosecutors charged her in January with one count of stealing or counterfeiting keys and two counts of mail theft, charges that could have led to a prison sentence.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Aug. 2023
Tackling Chinese counterfeiting ‘epidemic’ Timmons said Congress needs to address the issue of Chinese companies making counterfeit versions of American products.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2023
After all, there was no way to counterfeit what went off at the park jam.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2023
And with hard tickets, they could be counterfeited.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 27 Mar. 2023
They can also be easily counterfeited using modern technology.
—Gary Singer, Sun Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2023
Noun
For example, in a Twitter thread, Bruner pointed to the counterfeits using wires (rather than flexible PCBs), which AirPods haven't used since the original, non-Pro offering.
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 9 Nov. 2023
The records do not prove whether the counterfeits caused the complaints or might have been incidental to the report.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023
Other Considerations There have been KF94 masks for sale on Amazon, but Collins was concerned about potential counterfeits.
—Korin Miller, Health, 31 Oct. 2023
Despite all of Adidas’s attempts to get its official Messi jerseys into stores as quickly as possible, the clamor for them — any version of them — has proved so great that counterfeits have flooded the global market to meet the shortfall.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2023
The explosion in dupes has also partly come from the surge in e-commerce, said Daniel Shapiro, senior vice president of strategic partnerships and brand relationships at Red Points, which helps companies fight counterfeits, piracy, impersonation and distribution abuse.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 12 June 2023
To fight counterfeits, some food makers are turning to chips, not of the edible kind.
—IEEE Spectrum, 8 Sep. 2023
One company now has the power to wreck its workers’ bodies (in many towns, Amazon is the only major employer), choke our streets with delivery vans, and ruin small businesses by inviting counterfeits or cloning their products.
—Cory Doctorow, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2023
The Fraud by Zadie Smith Buy on Bookshop Penguin Press, 464 pp., $29.00
Each of Smith’s characters is wary of fakes, counterfeits, and illusions.
—Lynn Steger Strong, The New Republic, 15 Sep. 2023
See More
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
Articles Related to counterfeit
Dictionary Entries Near counterfeit
Cite this Entry
“Counterfeit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterfeit. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
counterfeit
1 of 3 verb
coun·ter·feit
ˈkau̇nt-ər-ˌfit
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
3 of 3 noun
: something counterfeit : forgery
Legal Definition
counterfeit
1 of 3 adjective
coun·ter·feit
ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌfit
: 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 deed—U.S. Code
U.S. Code
counterfeiter
noun
counterfeit
3 of 3 noun
: something counterfeit
all counterfeits of any coins or obligations—U.S. Code
compare forgery
U.S. CodeEtymology
Adjective
Middle French contrefait, past participle of contrefaire to imitate, draw, paint, from contre- counter- + faire to make
More from Merriam-Webster on counterfeit
Nglish: Translation of counterfeit for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of counterfeit for Arabic Speakers
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