sham

1 of 3

noun

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 pageantOscar Wilde
3
: an ornamental covering for a pillow
4
: an imitation or counterfeit purporting to be genuine
5
: a person who shams

sham

2 of 3

adjective

1
: not genuine : false, feigned
2
: having such poor quality as to seem false

sham

3 of 3

verb

shammed; shamming

transitive verb

: to go through the external motions necessary to counterfeit

intransitive verb

: to act intentionally so as to give a false impression : feign
shammer noun
Choose the Right Synonym for sham

Noun

imposture, fraud, sham, fake, humbug, counterfeit mean a thing made to seem other than it is.

imposture applies to any situation in which a spurious object or performance is passed off as genuine.

their claim of environmental concern is an imposture

fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.

the diary was exposed as a fraud

sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.

condemned the election as a sham

fake implies an imitation of or substitution for the genuine but does not necessarily imply dishonesty.

these jewels are fakes; the real ones are in the vault

humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.

creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public

counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.

20-dollar bills that were counterfeits

Verb

assume, affect, pretend, simulate, feign, counterfeit, sham mean to put on a false or deceptive appearance.

assume often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive.

assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients

affect implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling.

affected an interest in art

pretend implies an overt and sustained false appearance.

pretended that nothing had happened

simulate suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something.

cosmetics that simulate a suntan

feign implies more artful invention than pretend, less specific mimicry than simulate.

feigned sickness

counterfeit implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words.

an actor counterfeiting drunkenness

sham implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible.

shammed a most unconvincing limp

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 tourists Verb She wasn't really hurt; she was only shamming. He was shamming illness to avoid work.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But Republicans argue that Walz’s plain-talking, blue-collar demeanor is a sham that hides his radicalism. Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2024 Then, the vote was quickly condemned as a sham and led to the most severe sanctions yet on the OPEC nation. Reuters, NBC News, 13 Aug. 2024
Adjective
And volunteers given infusions of the antibody suffered from far more side effects such as nausea and headaches than those in a placebo group who received sham infusions. science.org, 26 Sep. 2024 High-ranking officials under the younger Daley got around patronage restrictions through sham job interviews and falsified applicant-rating forms. Ray Long, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for sham 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sham.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps from English dialect sham shame, alteration of English shame

First Known Use

Noun

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1681, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1702, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of sham was in 1677

Dictionary Entries Near sham

Cite this Entry

“Sham.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sham. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

sham

1 of 3 noun
1
: a trick that deceives : hoax
2
: something resembling an article of personal or household linen and used in place of or over it
3
: an imitation or counterfeit giving the impression of being real

sham

2 of 3 verb
shammed; shamming
: to act in a deceiving way

sham

3 of 3 adjective
: not real : false
sham pearls

Medical Definition

sham

adjective
: 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 cartilageLiz Kowalczyk
a sham injection of saline solution

Legal Definition

sham

1 of 2 noun
: something that is false, deceptive, misleading, or otherwise not genuine

sham

2 of 2 adjective
: not genuine : intended to mislead or deceive : false, illusory
the sale for one dollar was a sham transfer of property

More from Merriam-Webster on sham

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