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
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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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 30 Jul. 2025.
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