phonies 1 of 2

noun

variants also phoneys
plural of phony
1
as in counterfeits
an imitation that is passed off as genuine the fancy "emerald" ring turned out to be a phony

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in frauds
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise the person who performed the liposuction operation was later discovered to be a phony

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

phonies

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of phony
as in fakes
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive the terrorists were able to move around the country using phonied driver's licenses

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 phonies
Noun
Just as Moby-Dick is canonically about whales, Catcher is canonically about phonies. — Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026 At Dodger Stadium at the end of April, Crow-Amstrong also had to deal with the consequences of his actions — ripping Los Angeles Dodgers fans for being phonies in a Chicago magazine article that went viral. — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phonies
  1. counterfeits
  2. frauds
  3. fakes
  4. hoaxes
  5. pretenders
  6. forges
  7. copies
  8. shams
Noun
  • Others deliver cheap counterfeits or products that look nothing like the advertisement.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Nov. 2026
  • In cases Durbhakula has seen, cychlorphine is often combined with other substances, even in counterfeits of Xanax and OxyContin, making the effects more powerful and dangerous.
    — Diana Anos, CNN Money, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of counterfeits
Noun
  • Only once the Buffs emptied offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s playbook, there was nothing left to fire at McGuire’s frauds.
    — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Oct. 2026
  • In my phishing protection test, Avira successfully detected and defeated 100% of real-world phishing frauds.
    — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of frauds
Verb
  • When Jeremy doesn’t succeed in killing her, Verity fakes her paralysis while using his time out of the house to bond with their son and write these letters.
    — Glamour, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Seminole fakes the extra point kick and Luis Ojeda-Robles runs the ball in for the two point conversion.
    — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of fakes
Noun
  • Authorities have described the more than two dozen threats as malicious hoaxes, and no actual attacks have been carried out.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Authorities haven't attributed the threats to any group or state actor, and no evidence has emerged linking the hoaxes to a government.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of hoaxes
Noun
  • Next Generation premiered in September 1987, two months after Stewart’s 47th birthday, and initially struggled to catch on with Star Trek fans, many of whom considered the new cast to be pretenders to the throne.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The schedule is forgivable, even by ACC standards, but a rematch on the road against Notre Dame will separate the Canes as contenders or pretenders.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026
Definition of pretenders
Verb
  • Agnes van Rhijn sees an opening to re-elevate herself to her former position in society and Marian forges a new path for herself.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The Librarians, which premiered at Sundance in early 2025 and broadcast on PBS in early 2026, has been years in the making, but the battle at its core still forges on.
    — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of forges
Noun
  • After Williams was announced among the cast of the show, copies of Sandler’s original Yaga play disappeared from book shelves and the Amazon digital retailer.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Mammalian vaults contain 78 copies of a major protein arranged into two symmetrical halves.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of copies
Noun
  • Made from buttery-soft organic cotton sateen with a subtle sheen, the set includes a duvet cover and two matching shams.
    — Jacorey Moon, Architectural Digest, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The set includes a comforter cover, comforter insert, and two pillow shams for a cohesive look.
    — Brittany VanDerBill, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of shams

Browse Nearby Words

phonied
phonies
phoning
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Cite this Entry

“Phonies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phonies. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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