variants
or less commonly phoney
phonier; phoniest
: not genuine or real: such as
a(1)
: intended to deceive or mislead
(2)
: intended to defraud : counterfeit
b
: arousing suspicion : probably dishonest
something phony about the story
c
: having no basis in fact : fictitious
phony publicity stories
phonied; phonying
: counterfeit, fake
—often used with up
a paper phonied up on the spur of the moment—
William Faulkner
William Faulkner
variants
or less commonly -phonia
1
: sound
telephony
2
usually -phonia
: speech disorder of a (specified) type
dysphonia
Examples of phony in a Sentence
Adjective
a phony watch with a designer logo
she always has this phony smile just before she betrays you
Noun
According to him, politics is full of phonies.
I don't think she ever meant to help us. What a phony!
Verb
the terrorists were able to move around the country using phonied driver's licenses
Recent Examples on the Web
Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2025
Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau have issued warnings about scammers targeting internet users with fake deals of 80 to 90% off via phony liquidation websites.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 28 May 2025
Brian Boone, Vulture, 18 June 2025
For a Gen X-er raised on movies that skewered phonies and wannabes, the thought of being a poser was, in the end, far more offensive to his sensibilities than being potentially bland.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024
In fact, legislators and regulators are rolling back regulations designed to protect investors, who in this case are estimated to have lost $100 billion to phony Chinese firms.
—Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 29 Mar. 2018
See All Example Sentences for phony
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.
Adjective
Through his businesses, Gilmore allegedly submitted $19 million worth of phony claims to a federal worker’s compensation program, according to the indictment.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2025
Both the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau have issued warnings about scammers targeting internet users with fake deals of 80 to 90% off via phony liquidation websites.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 28 May 2025
Noun
The movie lacks a lot of Shepherd’s biting sarcasm and cynicism, because this book does pine for the good old days while also pointing out how adults then, and now, are a bunch of phonies.
—Brian Boone, Vulture, 18 June 2025
For a Gen X-er raised on movies that skewered phonies and wannabes, the thought of being a poser was, in the end, far more offensive to his sensibilities than being potentially bland.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
What constitutes the crime is to phony up business accounting records to disguise the payments.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024
In fact, legislators and regulators are rolling back regulations designed to protect investors, who in this case are estimated to have lost $100 billion to phony Chinese firms.
—Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 29 Mar. 2018
See All Example Sentences for phony
Cite this Entry
“Phony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phony. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
phony
1 of 2 adjective
pho·ny
variants
also phoney
phonier; phoniest
: not genuine or real: as
a(1)
: intended to deceive or mislead
(2)
: counterfeit entry 2 sense 1
a phony $10 bill
b
: causing suspicion : probably dishonest
sounds like a phony excuse to me
c
: fictitious, false
gave a phony name to the police
phoniness
noun
phony
2 of 2 noun
variants
also phoney
plural phonies also phoneys
: a phony person or thing
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share