sham
noun
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Definition of sham
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : a trick that deludes : hoax feared that the deal was a sham
2 : cheap falseness : hypocrisy saw through the hollowness, the sham, the silliness of the empty pageant— Oscar Wilde
3 : an ornamental covering for a pillow
4 : an imitation or counterfeit purporting to be genuine
5 : a person who shams
sham
adjectiveDefinition of sham (Entry 2 of 3)
sham
verbDefinition of sham (Entry 3 of 3)
: to go through the external motions necessary to counterfeit
: to act intentionally so as to give a false impression : feign
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Other Words from sham
Verb
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noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for sham
Synonyms: Noun
caricature, cartoon, farce, joke, mockery, parody, travesty
Synonyms: Adjective
artificial, bogus, dummy, ersatz, factitious, fake, false, faux, imitation, imitative, man-made, mimic, mock, pretend, simulated, substitute, synthetic
Synonyms: Verb
act, affect, assume, bluff, counterfeit, dissemble, fake, feign, pass (for), pretend, profess, put on, simulate
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of sham in a Sentence
Noun
He claims that the trial was a sham. Their marriage was a sham. Many people believed he could help them, but I knew he was a sham. She exposed their sham and hypocrisy.Adjective
a sofa upholstered in sham leather street vendors selling sham designer handbags to gullible touristsVerb
She wasn't really hurt; she was only shamming. He was shamming illness to avoid work.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
NurPhoto via Getty Images The Russia investigation is a sham. — Jane Coaston, Vox, "#QAnon, the scarily popular pro-Trump conspiracy theory, explained," 1 Aug. 2018 The majority leader may have decided that the votes weren’t there and hearings would be a sham, even if Republicans chose not to engage in character assassination in the manner of some Democratic senators. — WSJ, "Steadier Politics Require Congress Do Its Job," 4 Oct. 2018 The leftist leader won reelection in a May 20 vote that was condemned internationally as a sham, leading to further isolation of the economically crippled nation. — Kejal Vyas, WSJ, "Venezuela Frees Jailed Dissidents Under International Pressure," 1 June 2018 Maduro won a second six-year term in May in an election boycotted by the main opposition parties and widely criticized by the United States and other governments as a sham. — Fox News, "Pence stops in Ecuador to talk trade, Venezuela crisis," 28 June 2018 Pompeo has labeled it a sham, and the United States and other nations have refused to recognize it. — Carol Morello, Washington Post, "Pompeo calls for kicking Venezuela out of OAS and more sanctions," 4 June 2018 The Iran deal is a sham and the Iranians want and are developing nuclear weapons to use against the west and to use against Israel. — Fox News, "Conway on Iran deal, White House Correspondents' Dinner," 1 May 2018 The government claims the charity was really a sham, set up by Holiefield and Iacobelli, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy and tax evasion last month. — Tresa Baldas, USA TODAY, "5th person charged in UAW-Fiat Chrysler scandal: Another union exec accused of theft," 14 Mar. 2018 Laws banning conversion therapy have become increasingly popular around the country as professional groups reject the practice as a sham, and a potentially damaging one, at that. — Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, "Maryland becomes 11th state to ban conversion therapy for LGBT youth as Gov. Hogan signs bill," 15 May 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Pathogen exposure and not the sham treatment changed the ants’ behavior in ways that further protected the colony. — Diana Gitig, Ars Technica, "Sick ants stay away from the kids," 26 Nov. 2018 He and his siblings set up a sham corporation to disguise millions of dollars in gifts from their parents, records and interviews show. — Susanne Craig, The Seattle Times, "Trump engaged in suspect tax schemes as he reaped riches from father," 2 Oct. 2018 According to the indictment, the men constructed a sham security company as a front for the hacking campaign, pretending to offer penetration testing services to corporate customers. — Russell Brandom, The Verge, "Ukrainian hackers arrested for stealing 15 million credit card records," 1 Aug. 2018 Large sham pillows fabric,Piumette—Fortuny (T); fortuny.com. — House Beautiful, "November 2015 Issue Product Guide," 17 Oct. 2015 President Trump and his supporters have long charged that the FBI conducted a sham investigation of Clinton. — Warren Richey, The Christian Science Monitor, "Inspector general on Comey: dissecting an error in judgment," 15 June 2018 As to Doe’s specific claims about sham investigations, the university’s statement on Wednesday claims that neither the team nor the athletic department knew about her situation and thus never investigated it. — Michael Mccann, SI.com, "Title IX Lawsuit Over Players' Alleged Rape Adds to Michigan State's Growing Legal Troubles," 13 Apr. 2018 The bogus crash report in September 2016 was but one of dozens of sham claims that cost the insurance giant more than half-a-million dollars, prosecutors say, and led to a series of arrests on Tuesday morning. — David Ovalle, miamiherald, "One Lexus, 10 crashes, none real. Rogue adjusters in Miami scammed GEICO, police say," 10 July 2018 Blogs and websites about various infestations, many of which are devoted to conspiracy theories and biologically impossible explanations, give sufferers a sense of community, but also reinforce delusions and often try to sell them on sham solutions. — National Geographic, "Think Your Body Is Infested With Insects? You're Not Alone.," 22 June 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
In other cases, Trump has publicly and privately shamed staffers, pushing them to resign. — Zeke Miller, The Seattle Times, "Rosenstein’s job to be topic of Thursday meeting with Trump," 25 Sep. 2018 The Justice Department in recent years has charged hackers from China, Iran and Russia in hopes of publicly shaming other countries for sponsoring cyberattacks on U.S. corporations, according to the Associated Press. — Greg Norman, Fox News, "North Korean computer programmer charged by Justice Department for 2014 Sony hack," 6 Sep. 2018 This is not about shaming anyone or finger wagging. — Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, "A New Leader in the Push for Diversity of Thought on Campus," 6 Feb. 2018 So now that Kanye is being publicly shamed for not being involved makes no sense and, at this exact time, just seems very calculated. — Jasmine Sanders, The Cut, "Why Is Kim Kardashian Feuding With One of Kanye West’s Collaborators?," 29 May 2018 So now that Kanye is being publicly shamed for not being involved makes no sense and, at this exact time, just seems very calculated. — refinery29.com, "After Kim K.'s Second Twitter Rant About Donda's House, We Have Questions," 28 May 2018 The punishment for this crime is to lose your livelihood, legacy, reputation and to be publicly shamed. — Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, "Jacinda Barrett Defends Ex-Boyfriend Chris Hardwick Amid Misconduct Scandal," 26 June 2018 In one recent controversial incident, a Bollywood actress shamed a Mumbai resident for littering. — Vidhi Doshi, Washington Post, "Mumbai’s plastic ban carries costly fines and jail sentences for offenders," 26 June 2018 This can be traced directly to the delay in getting help to Puerto Rico's 3.4 million U.S. citizens by President Donald Trump’s administration, which had to be shamed into jumping into action. — Fabiola Santiago, miamiherald, "Memo to Gov. Rick Scott: A real Floridian doesn’t get hysterical over rain and squalls," 29 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sham.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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5 Dec 2018
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More Definitions for sham
sham
noun
English Language Learners Definition of sham
(Entry 1 of 3)
: something that is not what it appears to be and that is meant to trick or deceive people
: someone who deceives people by pretending to be a particular kind of person, to have a particular skill, etc.
: words or actions that are not sincere or honest
sham
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of sham (Entry 3 of 3)
: to act in a way that is meant to trick or deceive people
See the full definition for sham in the English Language Learners Dictionary
sham
noun
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Kids Definition of sham
(Entry 1 of 3)
1 : something that deceives : hoax
2 : something that is claimed to be true or real but which is actually phony
3 : a decorative covering for a pillow
sham
adjectiveKids Definition of sham (Entry 2 of 3)
: not real : false sham concern
sham
verbKids Definition of sham (Entry 3 of 3)
: to act in a deceiving way
sham
adjective
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Medical Definition of sham
: being a treatment or procedure that is performed as a control and that is similar to but omits a key therapeutic element of the treatment or procedure under investigation sham surgery, in which doctors make an incision in a patient's knee and manipulate the joint, but don't clean out fluid, debris, and torn cartilage— Liz Kowalczyk a sham injection of saline solution
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sham
noun
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Legal Definition of sham
(Entry 1 of 2)
: something that is false, deceptive, misleading, or otherwise not genuine
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adjectiveKeep scrolling for more
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