fake it
idiom
informal
: to pretend to be something that one is not or to have some knowledge or ability that one does not really have
He acts like he's my friend, but I can tell that he's just faking it.
He didn't know the words to the song, so he had to fake it.
Examples of fake it in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Now he’s relieved of being forced to fake it the rest of the season.
—
Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Anyone who knows just enough to fake it will now be automated into irrelevance.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
If the leaders aren’t thrilled, don’t force anyone to fake it!
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
But there are some easy ways to fake it and create that real tree smell without the real tree hassle.
—Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
Meta has a suggestion for folks like me who forgot to go outside and look at the Northern Lights on Thursday night: just use AI to fake it!
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2024
Sometimes people fake it because they’re not fully work-loaded or challenged.
—Tracy Brower, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
Related Articles The report’s authors categorized the survey into five major classifications that define the cohort: radical traditionalists; going for broke; brands beware; fund it, don’t fake it, and finding fairy godmother figures.
—Kanika Talwar, WWD, 2 July 2024
But while some women fake it from time-to-time, for others the lack of ability to reach orgasm is a far more debilitating issue.
—Sarah Sinclair, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
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.
Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025
Anyone who knows just enough to fake it will now be automated into irrelevance.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
If the leaders aren’t thrilled, don’t force anyone to fake it!
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
But there are some easy ways to fake it and create that real tree smell without the real tree hassle.
—Cody Godwin, USA TODAY, 11 Dec. 2024
Meta has a suggestion for folks like me who forgot to go outside and look at the Northern Lights on Thursday night: just use AI to fake it!
—Wes Davis, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2024
Sometimes people fake it because they’re not fully work-loaded or challenged.
—Tracy Brower, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
Related Articles The report’s authors categorized the survey into five major classifications that define the cohort: radical traditionalists; going for broke; brands beware; fund it, don’t fake it, and finding fairy godmother figures.
—Kanika Talwar, WWD, 2 July 2024
But while some women fake it from time-to-time, for others the lack of ability to reach orgasm is a far more debilitating issue.
—Sarah Sinclair, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Fake it.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fake%20it. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share