1
as in forging
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive
pranksters faked giant footprints and then claimed that they had seen Bigfoot
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in pretending
to present a false appearance of
while running for class president, Dan was not above faking friendship with people just to get their votes
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in concocting
to perform, make, or do without preparation
if you give me the gist of the plan, I can probably fake enough for the speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in evading
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of faking
Recent reports that a number of current and former NBA players were allegedly faking injuries and trading inside information with crooked gamblers has left sports fans and media reeling.
—
David Hill, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Pastrnak double-clutched, faking the slapper, and appeared to have missed his shot.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
On October 9, Wendy Osefo from Real Housewives of Potomac was arrested on 16 charges relating to faking a home invasion.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Video captured by an Israeli drone, appearing to show Hamas personnel faking the recovery of a deceased hostage, has put the terrorist group in a compromised position.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2025
Upon receiving the handoff, Pacheco hesitated for a beat before faking left, juking right and breaking a tackle on the way to his longest rush of the season — a 16-yard gain on a drive that ended in a Kansas City touchdown.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
Babygirl opens with Kidman’s character faking an orgasm.
—Wendell Steavenson, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
Use this light-reflecting lotion that’s one of our tried-and-true products for faking a tan year-round.
—Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Last month, a man was arrested after faking a bomb threat at the same ICE facility where Wednesday’s shooting occurred.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 25 Sep. 2025
David Hill, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2025
Pastrnak double-clutched, faking the slapper, and appeared to have missed his shot.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
On October 9, Wendy Osefo from Real Housewives of Potomac was arrested on 16 charges relating to faking a home invasion.
—Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Video captured by an Israeli drone, appearing to show Hamas personnel faking the recovery of a deceased hostage, has put the terrorist group in a compromised position.
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2025
Upon receiving the handoff, Pacheco hesitated for a beat before faking left, juking right and breaking a tackle on the way to his longest rush of the season — a 16-yard gain on a drive that ended in a Kansas City touchdown.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
Babygirl opens with Kidman’s character faking an orgasm.
—Wendell Steavenson, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2025
Use this light-reflecting lotion that’s one of our tried-and-true products for faking a tan year-round.
—Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Last month, a man was arrested after faking a bomb threat at the same ICE facility where Wednesday’s shooting occurred.
—Max Rego, The Hill, 25 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faking
Verb
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Over in India, French strategists succeeded in forging a pivotal new anti-British alliance with Haidar Ali, the Muslim ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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However, Pëllumb Petritaj, a close associate, was convicted in 2018 of forging land documents to usurp 187 hectares.—
Lindita Cela,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Parents reported that their children loved playing with the original Nékojita FuFu, pretending to fan their faces and blow-dry their hair.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Jan. 2026
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How naïve must Trump be to believe that Putin cares about Ukraine’s well-being after invading it, killing thousands of its people, kidnapping tens of thousands of Ukrainian children back to Russia, and continuing to bomb civilian apartment buildings while pretending to negotiate a peace deal?—
Tom Zirpoli,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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China has also been concocting a pretext for action.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
23 Oct. 2025
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But in the late 1800s, food companies began concocting products that were wildly different from anything people could make themselves.—
Alice Callahan,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Kurchenko was also close to Viktor Yanukovych, the Kremlin-leaning Ukrainian president at the time, and was later accused by the succeeding Ukrainian government of systematically evading millions in taxes with the collusion of officials in Yanukovych’s administration.—
Olena Loginova,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
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He was arrested on suspicion of evading arrest or detention with a vehicle.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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As such, more will be required than a World Cup ticket, particularly because physical tickets are vulnerable to counterfeiting, while electronic devices, which may ordinarily be a way to show authentic tickets, are usually forbidden in consular buildings where interviews take place.—
Adam Crafton,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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He and Baines were imprisoned and questioned for counterfeiting coins, and Marlowe was sent home.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In recent years Beijing has ramped up its military intimidation of Taiwan, including by simulating blockades.—
Steven Jiang,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
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Since stem cell models represent a disease’s early stages, simulating development is trickier and more time-consuming.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Companies are actively devising strategies to counteract muscle loss in people taking the drugs.—
Isabella Cueto,
STAT,
29 Dec. 2025
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Sondheim got to work at eight o’clock one night, devising a version of the murder game in which all the players would have to use their wits to untangle the mystery.—
Michael Schulman,
New Yorker,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Thaon recalled swimming through snow and dodging rocks until help arrived.—
Abigail Adams,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
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Hours later, after dodging cow patties the size of dinner plates and gaping holes leading to marmot burrows, the locations are chosen and the traps are set.—
Glenn Zorpette,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Faking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faking. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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