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sham

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noun

sham

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verb

Synonym Chooser

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

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

condemned the election as a sham

Where would counterfeit be a reasonable alternative to sham?

In some situations, the words counterfeit and sham are roughly equivalent. However, counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.

20-dollar bills that were counterfeits

When could fake be used to replace sham?

The meanings of fake and sham largely overlap; however, 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

In what contexts can fraud take the place of sham?

While the synonyms fraud and sham are close in meaning, fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.

the diary was exposed as a fraud

When is it sensible to use humbug instead of sham?

Although the words humbug and sham have much in common, humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.

creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public

When might imposture be a better fit than sham?

The words imposture and sham can be used in similar contexts, but 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

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 sham
Adjective
In 2022, the U.S. State Department denounced the referendums there as sham ballots. Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025 Investors, engineers and sham fishermen: What to know about the operation? Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
Noun
No legitimate independent international observers monitored the referenda and they were widely dismissed as shams, including by the United States. Patrick Reevell, ABC News, 24 Mar. 2025 The set features an all-over stitched diamond pattern with neatly finished edges, curved corners, and matching shams for a cohesive look. Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sham
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sham
Adjective
  • The original Universal Studios Orlando mimicked a Hollywood backlot, with soundstages and faux New York streets.
    Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2025
  • Made of faux leather, the fabric is high-quality, water-resistant, and cruelty-free.
    Izzy Baskette, People.com, 22 May 2025
Adjective
  • Parents, experts and lawmakers have urged tech giants to do more to prevent the sale of counterfeit or illicit drugs to young people through their platforms, after multiple teens have died of overdoses from pills bought online.
    Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
  • According to a 2023 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of overdose deaths involving counterfeit pills more than doubled between mid-2019 and late 2021, with states in the Western US being even more acutely impacted.
    Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 17 May 2025
Adjective
  • Two of them show up regularly in way-too-early 2026 mock drafts.
    Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 21 May 2025
  • Say it with mock certainty and a slight smile, Callahan advises, and pause before the punchline.
    Angela Haupt, Time, 21 May 2025
Noun
  • Ferrell's Ricky Bobby also serves as a pitch-perfect parody of the ego-driven, preening male protagonists of many a racing film.
    James Mercadante, EW.com, 20 May 2025
  • Saturday Night Live's best car sketches, parodies and fake ads Who is in the Season 50 'SNL' cast?
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 16 May 2025
Noun
  • For more on Sherri Papini's kidnapping hoax, subscribe now to PEOPLE, or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday.
    Johnny Dodd, People.com, 22 May 2025
  • For every intentionally funny moment, there seems to be another joke at someone’s expense, such as Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie needing 40 seconds to (mostly) name his eight kids or Rams defensive end William Hayes insisting dinosaurs are a hoax, but mermaids are real.
    Tim Graham, New York Times, 22 May 2025
Noun
  • Bonnie Cash/Getty Images The Department of Government Efficiency is continuing its attempts to expand its reach beyond executive branch agencies, this time seeking to embed in an independent legislative watchdog that finds waste, fraud and abuse in the government.
    Stephen Fowler, NPR, 16 May 2025
  • UnitedHealth Group is under a Department of Justice criminal probe for possible criminal Medicare fraud related to its Medicare Advantage business, according to the Wall Street Journal.
    Medora Lee, USA Today, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • That old man was Trump—who had just been hospitalized with COVID-19, but was pretending that everything was fine—and yet the column was about America’s gerontocracy as a whole, and what Smith suggested was an unsustainable media omertà around it.
    Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 23 May 2025
  • That’s the point of him; as the Mission: Impossible franchise’s secret agent extraordinaire, Hunt can pretend to be anyone, accomplish basically any physical task, and uncover conspiracies with aplomb.
    David Sims, The Atlantic, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • Later, it's revealed that Phelps didn't die at all, and his fake death was a setup to frame Ethan.
    EW.com, EW.com, 24 May 2025
  • San Diego airport threat: Military member arrested after bomb threat at San Diego International Airport Ex-LA deputy mayor used voice application for fake bomb threat Prosecutors did not provide a motive for the false bomb threat, but detailed Williams' process to conceal the origin of the threat.
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 23 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sham. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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