fake 1 of 3

1
2
3
4

fake

2 of 3

noun

fake

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to counterfeit
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive pranksters faked giant footprints and then claimed that they had seen Bigfoot

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
4
as in to evade
to elude (an opponent in a sports contest) by making a deceptive or agile movement the running back faked the defense by stepping to his left and then quickly cutting to the right

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word fake different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of fake are counterfeit, fraud, humbug, imposture, and sham. While all these words mean "a thing made to seem other than it is," 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

When could counterfeit be used to replace fake?

The meanings of counterfeit and fake largely overlap; however, counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.

20-dollar bills that were counterfeits

When is fraud a more appropriate choice than fake?

The synonyms fraud and fake are sometimes interchangeable, but fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.

the diary was exposed as a fraud

In what contexts can humbug take the place of fake?

While the synonyms humbug and fake are close in meaning, humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.

creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public

When is it sensible to use imposture instead of fake?

The words imposture and fake are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, 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

When would sham be a good substitute for fake?

Although the words sham and fake have much in common, sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.

condemned the election as a sham

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of fake
Adjective
Russia's Influence Operations in 2016, Russia conducted extensive campaigns during the presidential election, employing fake personas, troll farms, and manipulated content to inflame racial, ideological, and cultural divisions. Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025 Videos that are fake are believed to be real; videos that are real can easily be derided as fake. Andrew R. Chow, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
The Buffs bit on a zone-read fake on Delaware’s first drive as tailback Jo Silver opened the game by gashing CU for a 10-yard gain. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 2025 True stories are one way to differentiate the authentic from the fake. Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
Psychological testing indicated that Brown was trying to fake symptoms of mental illness, Sutton said. Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Sep. 2025 As synthetic content grows more common, what can’t be faked grows more valuable. Rod Yancy, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fake
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fake
Adjective
  • But because the signals are so faint, they can be drowned out by cheap jammers or replaced by counterfeit ones.
    Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The constant threat of counterfeit goods must be faced when navigating the secondary market.
    Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, newer synthetic drugs such as spice or bath salts may not be detected at all without specialized equipment.
    Andrew Yockey, The Conversation, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The Yoga 9i 2-in-1 placed second in Cinebench and fourth in Geekbench, two synthetic benchmarks that test CPU performance.
    Mark Coppock, PC Magazine, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Whose idea was this, and what kinds of settler-colonial relations does this mock holdup invert?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Sweater My grandmother also purchased this 100 percent cashmere mock-neck sweater to have on hand in case the weather requires an extra layer.
    Melony Forcier, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • The addition of the Warlock-like floaty jump (sorry, there are just a lot of Destiny things) is very good, as is the base level double jump all characters have.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The patterns will suit any stripe preference, from the wider Pembroke in pine green and sandstone to the mini- and double-stripe options.
    Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • While these hoaxes mostly ended up being false alarms, experts note that these types of hoaxes are not only a serious crime with substantial penalties for those involved but can also put first responders and bystanders at risk.
    ABC News, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
  • The alerts came a day after Charlie Kirk was killed in a campus shooting in Utah — and amid a wave of active shooter hoaxes nationwide.
    Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The Nepalese government, citing concerns over fake accounts, hate speech, disinformation and fraud, said the measures were to ensure accountability and make operators responsible for content on their platforms.
    Nir Kshetri, The Conversation, 14 Sep. 2025
  • While the classic grounds for denaturalization include concealment of criminal histories or material lies in the naturalization process, there are growing indications that serious tax fraud may be viewed as evidence that naturalization was procured illegally or fraudulently.
    Kelly Phillips Erb, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • It’s forged in small rituals, honest boundaries, supportive villages, and the grace to accept what can’t be controlled.
    Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Washington has so far thwarted Beijing’s ambitions to dominate the Indo-Pacific by forging alliances and partnerships in the region.
    Thomas Wright, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The study saw parents use actions to joke and pretend with kids aged 16 to 20 months old.
    Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Scrolling on one’s phone can be a deadening experience, but here’s someone feeling, or at least pretending to feel, a genuine feeling—even if the abundance of these videos surely numbs us further.
    Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 15 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fake.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fake. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on fake

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!