as in forging
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
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phonying
Verb
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In 2015, when Jay was introducing Tidal, Drake chose Apple Music instead, forging his own path as a mogul rather than teaming up with Jay.—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
3 June 2026 -
Senate Republicans are once again forging ahead with a reconciliation package to fund immigration enforcement agencies through fiscal year 2029.—
Barbara Sprunt,
NPR,
3 June 2026
Verb
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There have been a lot of studies on counterfeiting conducted with customs and police, but these have mostly focused on the scale of the problem.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
26 May 2026
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And Cannon — who played with the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs — admitted to counterfeiting in the mid-1980s after a series of bad investments and debts left him broke.—
Seung Min Kim,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hit men are dispatched, homicide takes hold, and a smear campaign is hatched to discredit Zaminsky as faking signals to keep his SETI gig.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
31 May 2026
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Oba Femi Destroys Brock Lesnar Again After seemingly faking his retirement at WrestleMania 42 following a shockingly lopsided loss to Oba Femi, Brock Lesnar is already back and will face Femi once again at Clash in Italy.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Three days after that, Skubal fired 35 pitches in another bullpen session, simulating what would normally be a start day.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
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These models are getting better at simulating reality.—
Nilay Patel,
The Verge,
26 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Phonying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phonying. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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