sham
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sham
(shăm)n.
1.
a. Something false or empty that is purported to be genuine: "Because she had been so readily unfaithful, her marriage was a sham" (Alice Munro).
b. Deceitfulness or pretense: "She saw herself as a person surrounded by, living by, sham" (Alice Munro).
c. One who claims to be what he or she is not; an impostor or fraud: "He a man! Hell! He was a hollow sham!" (Joseph Conrad).
2. A decorative cover for a pillow.
adj.
Not genuine; fake: sham diamonds; sham modesty.
v. shammed, sham·ming, shams
v.tr.
To put on the false appearance of; feign: "shamming insanity to get his tormentors to leave him alone" (John Wain).
v.intr.
To assume a false appearance or character; dissemble.
[Perhaps dialectal variant of shame.]
sham′mer n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
sham
(ʃæm)n
1. anything that is not what it purports or appears to be
2. something false, fake, or fictitious that purports to be genuine
3. a person who pretends to be something other than he is
adj
counterfeit or false; simulated
vb, shams, shamming or shammed
to falsely assume the appearance of (something); counterfeit: to sham illness.
[C17: perhaps a Northern English dialect variant of shame]
ˈshammer n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
sham
(ʃæm)n., adj., v. shammed, sham•ming. n.
1. a spurious imitation; fraud or hoax.
2. a person who pretends or counterfeits.
3. a cover or the like: a pillow sham.
adj. 4. pretended; counterfeit: sham attacks.
5. designed, made, or used as a sham.
v.t. 6. to produce an imitation of.
7. to feign.
v.i. 8. to make a false show of something.
[1670–80]
sham′mer, n.
syn: See false.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
sham
Past participle: shammed
Gerund: shamming
| Imperative |
|---|
| sham |
| sham |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  sham - something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to befake book - a fake in the form of an imitation book; used to fill bookcases of people who wish to appear scholarly imitation - something copied or derived from an original Potemkin village - something that seems impressive but in fact lacks substance |
| 2. |  sham - a person who makes deceitful pretensesbeguiler, cheater, deceiver, trickster, slicker, cheat - someone who leads you to believe something that is not true name dropper - someone who pretends that famous people are his/her friends ringer - a contestant entered in a competition under false pretenses | |
| Verb | 1. | sham - make a pretence of; "She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger"; "he feigned sleep" play - pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity; "Let's play like I am mommy"; "Play cowboy and Indians" feint - deceive by a mock action; "The midfielder feinted to shoot" |
| 2. | sham - make believe with the intent to deceive; "He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache" misrepresent, belie - represent falsely; "This statement misrepresents my intentions" make believe, pretend, make - represent fictitiously, as in a play, or pretend to be or act like; "She makes like an actress" play possum - to pretend to be dead take a dive - pretend to be knocked out, as of a boxer talk through one's hat, bull, fake - speak insincerely or without regard for facts or truths; "The politician was not well prepared for the debate and faked it" mouth - articulate silently; form words with the lips only; "She mouthed a swear word" | |
| Adj. | 1. | sham - adopted in order to deceive; "an assumed name"; "an assumed cheerfulness"; "a fictitious address"; "fictive sympathy"; "a pretended interest"; "a put-on childish voice"; "sham modesty" counterfeit, imitative - not genuine; imitating something superior; "counterfeit emotion"; "counterfeit money"; "counterfeit works of art"; "a counterfeit prince" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
sham
noun
1. fraud, imitation, hoax, pretence, forgery, counterfeit, pretender, humbug, impostor, feint, pseud (informal), wolf in sheep's clothing, imposture, phoney or phony (informal) Their promises were exposed as a hollow sham.
fraud original, the real thing, the genuine article, the real McCoy (or McKay)
fraud original, the real thing, the genuine article, the real McCoy (or McKay)
adjective
1. false, artificial, bogus, pretended, mock, synthetic, imitation, simulated, pseudo (informal), counterfeit, feigned, spurious, ersatz, pseud (informal), phoney or phony (informal) a sham marriage
false real, genuine, authentic, sound, true, natural, legitimate, veritable, bona fide, dinkum (Austral & N.Z. informal), unfeigned
false real, genuine, authentic, sound, true, natural, legitimate, veritable, bona fide, dinkum (Austral & N.Z. informal), unfeigned
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
sham
noun1. A fraudulent imitation:
2. A false, derisive, or impudent imitation of something:
3. A display of insincere behavior:
Fraudulently or deceptively imitative:
1. To behave affectedly or insincerely or take on a false or misleading appearance of:
2. To take on or give a false appearance of:
Idiom: make believe.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
TranslationsSelect a language:
Spanish / Español
sham
[ʃæm]B. N
2. (= person) → impostor/a m/f
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
sham
(ʃӕm) noun adjective pretended, artificial or false. a sham fight; Are those diamonds real or sham?falso, simulado, fingido
verb – past tense, past participle shammed – to pretend (to be in some state). He shammed sleep/anger; He shammed dead; I think she's only shamming.fingir, simular
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.