faker; fakest
Synonyms of fakenext
: not true, real, or genuine : counterfeit, sham
He was wearing a fake mustache.
She held up the bowl to the window light and smiled her fakest smile yet …Lee Durkee
From the well-known to the unknown, fake news, misinformation and hate rhetoric are causing harm to many individuals.Dolar Popat

Examples of fake in a Sentence

That blood is clearly fake. He was wearing a fake mustache.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
In the Gables, Parking Director Monica Beltran and her team of parking enforcers are on the watch for fake and altered disability permits. Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 8 June 2026 Tatis broke for second on a steal attempt, which drew a fake throw from Luis Torrens. CBS News, 7 June 2026 Starting as early as April, fraud operations can post fake rentals on platforms such as Airbnb, Vrbo, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026 The tanning ritual doesn’t actually stop there, though, as moisturizing is the key to a long-lasting fake glow. Deanna Pai, Glamour, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for fake

Word History

Etymology

derivative of fake entry 2

Note: Not recorded as an adjective before 1879. The supposed use by the British general Richard Howe in a dispatch from Boston to the Secretary of State dated December 3, 1775 ("So many artifices have been practiced upon Strangers under the appearance of Friendship, fake Pilots &c."; Report Concerning Canadian Archives for the Year 1904, Ottawa, 1905, p. 355) is most likely a misreading (perhaps for faux or false?).

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fake was in 1879

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fake. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

fake

1 of 3 adjective
: not genuine : phony

fake

2 of 3 noun
1
: an imitation that is passed off as genuine : counterfeit
2
: impostor
a medical fake

fake

3 of 3 verb
faked; faking
1
: to change or treat so as to make false
faked the results
2
: counterfeit entry 1 sense 1
fake a rare first edition
3
faker noun
fakery
ˈfā-k(ə-)rē
noun

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