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

Mail theft violations can result in imprisonment of up to five years and unlawful possession of a key or counterfeit key can land someone in prison for 10 years, said Lanning, the postal inspector. —Angela Rodriguez, Sacramento Bee, 15 Apr. 2024

The Tennessee Department of Health reported four people in the state had been stricken with botulism-like symptoms, including two hospitalized after getting possible counterfeit injections. —Kate Gibson, CBS News, 12 Apr. 2024

The astronomical society also provides some helpful tips for how to spot counterfeit glasses. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024

The highly addictive synthetic opioid is illegally sold in various forms including counterfeit pills that look like prescription drugs, and can be fatal in small doses. —Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024

But be careful because counterfeit glasses have flooded marketplaces for weeks leading up to the big event. —Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 7 Apr. 2024

Two men in Maryland who sent thousands of counterfeit iPhones to Apple for repairs to get authentic replacement iPhones in return were found guilty by a federal jury on Tuesday, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. —Matt Novak / Gizmodo, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024

Other recent investigations include recovering artifacts stolen from Okinawa, Japan at the end of World War II, according to the FBI’s website, returning a 16th-century manuscript to Peru, and another fraudster in Massachusetts who sold counterfeit Andy Warhol paintings, also on eBay. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024

The Secret Service and police are continuing their investigations after two Sacramento men and a teenager were accused of using counterfeit bills over the weekend at several businesses in Rocklin and Lincoln, police said. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024

Verb

The group raises money by robbing banks and money exchange shops, as well as smuggling weapons, counterfeiting currencies and ransom operations, according to the U.N. Al-Batarfi took over as the head of the branch in February 2020. —Compiled Bydemocrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 12 Mar. 2024

Losing his job, his car, and his home was the universe knocking at his door, telling him to start counterfeiting again. —Jason Kersten, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2024

And Drone-Defenses Is The Ultimate T-62 Maximizing on business impact and addressing some of the industry’s biggest challenges, key areas of focus are theft and counterfeiting alongside traceability, transparency and sustainability. —Stephanie Hirschmiller, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024

Of the other drugmakers whose products were counterfeited, one — Sun Pharmaceuticals — did not offer comment. —Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024

Behind this booming industry is a slew of copyright and ethics violations ranging from design piracy to counterfeit merchandise. —Anne Marie Lee, CBS News, 21 Dec. 2023

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

Noun

Knowing exactly what’s in a gin matters more now, as the industry continues to grow and counterfeits and copies look to cash in. —Eve Thomas, WIRED, 3 Apr. 2024

Denmark, Austria and Belgium’s drug regulators don’t monitor social media for potential counterfeits, although Belgium hopes to do so in the future when a new law comes into place. —Ashleigh Furlong, Fortune Europe, 13 Mar. 2024

Las Vegas — On the hunt for Super Bowl fakes, Homeland Security Investigations agents swept through Las Vegas over the past few days, seizing 4,600 football forgeries and counterfeits in hours, worth nearly $1 million. —Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 8 Feb. 2024

Platforms need to continue to improve and prevent sales of counterfeit or stolen art as well as improve security measures to counter hacking or theft of assets. —Nikita Sachdev, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024

Kassim allegedly swiped numerous counterfeit or stolen EBT cards through a terminal and entered corresponding PINs without victims' knowledge or permission, according to court documents. —USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024

Some are counterfeits made of methamphetamine, while others contain appetite suppressants, acetaminophen or caffeine. —Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024

By June, the Times team had bought and tested more than 50 pills from 29 pharmacies in eight cities, finding counterfeits for sale in stores from coast to coast, mostly in areas that attract travelers. —Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024

But the most elaborate counterfeit was a bottle of fake Vyvanse sold in Puerto Vallarta. —Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024

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

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