counterfeit

1 of 3

adjective

coun·​ter·​feit ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌfit 

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

Synonyms

Adjective

• bogus
• fake
• false
• forged
• inauthentic
• phony
• phoney
• queer
• sham
• snide
• spurious
• unauthentic

Verb

• fake
• forge
• phony

Noun

• fake
• forgery
• hoax
• humbug
• phony
• phoney
• sham

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

These flaws include counterfeit, defective and tampered components. —Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 4 June 2025

Floyd, an unarmed Black man, died May 25, 2020 on Memorial Day, when cops in Minneapolis were arresting him for allegedly passing a counterfeit bill at a grocery store. —Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 25 May 2025

Verb

Commonly counterfeited medications include all classes of medications from prescription to over-the-counter medications. —Robert Glatter, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025

Automated high-risk product routing detects the products most likely to be counterfeiting while considering seller behavior as well. —Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019

Noun

Longer answer: Many of these products are either mass-produced by unbranded manufacturers or straight-up counterfeit. —Francesca Krempa, StyleCaster, 10 Apr. 2025

On counterfeits, the color is almost always wrong, usually a highlighter shade of yellow instead. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

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

Rhymes for counterfeit

• candlelit
• hypocrite
• monazite
• resubmit
• retrofit
• acquit
• admit
• amrit
• armpit
• backlit
• befit
• cockpit

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

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 

: 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

counterfeiter noun

counterfeit

3 of 3 noun

: something counterfeit

all counterfeits of any coins or obligations

—U.S. Code

compare forgery

Etymology

Adjective

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