fake

Formsfakes, faking, faked

Pluralfakes

1. 1
   phonyadjective

   Not genuine; made or presented to deceive, as something false or fraudulent.

   Investigators discovered that the signature on the contract was fake.

   The market was full of fake designer handbags sold as authentic.

   UsageThe plain opposites are genuine, real and authentic. Both faker and more fake are used.

   Similarcounterfeit, forged, false, fraudulent, bogus

   Oppositegenuine, authentic

   Note

   Caryn James wrote in The New York Times (1988) of 'the fakest snow that wartime supplies could buy.'

2. 2
   pretendverbtransitive

   To put on a false display of something; to feign or simulate a feeling or state.

   The actor learned to fake tears on cue for the emotional scenes.

   He faked surprise when they brought out the cake, though he already knew.

   UsageOften fake a smile, fake an illness, or with -ing: she faked being sick.

   Similarfeign, simulate, affect, pretend

   Note

   Where forgery produces an object, this verb produces a performance. Its objects are states and displays: a smile, happiness, even a marriage.

3. 3
   fraud (object)nouncountable

   An item that is not genuine, or that is passed off as something it is not.

   The auction house withdrew the painting after experts declared it a fake.

   Collectors learned to spot fakes by examining the brushwork closely.

   UsageCommon in spot a fake and turn out to be a fake.

   Similarforgery, counterfeit, fraud, imitation, copy

   Oppositeoriginal

   Note

   Arthur Conan Doyle's The Coming of the Fairies (1922) mentions a gentleman who 'had made a particular hobby of fakes in photography.' The noun names the object itself, while the adjective describes it. So 'this passport is a fake' and 'this passport is fake' say the same thing in two different grammars. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Arthur Conan Doyle wrote The Coming of the Fairies. collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk
   • The Coming of the Fairies was first published in 1922. upload.wikimedia.org
   • The quoted wording appears in Doyle's narrative describing a gentleman. gutenberg.org
4. 4
   insincereadjective

   Of a person: insincere, putting on feelings or friendliness that are not genuine.

   Don't be fooled by how nice she is to your face; she's totally fake.

   He came across as fake, agreeing with whatever the crowd wanted to hear.

   UsageA sharp criticism of a person: he's so fake, totally fake.

   Similarinsincere, phony, false, artificial, hypocritical

   Oppositesincere, genuine, authentic, real

5. 5
   forgeverbtransitive

   To make a counterfeit of something, or to alter it fraudulently so that it seems genuine or better than it is; to forge or falsify.

   The gang learned to fake passports good enough to fool border agents.

   She faked the test results to hide the experiment's failure.

   UsageCommon objects: fake a signature, fake passports, fake the results.

   Similarforge, counterfeit, falsify, fabricate, doctor

6. 6
   trick movenouncountable

   In sports, a deceptive move used to mislead an opponent and gain an advantage, such as when dribbling past a defender.

   The point guard sold the fake so well that two defenders lunged the wrong way.

   A well-timed fake can open up the whole court.

   Similarfeint, dummy, juke, deke

   Note

   On the field the deception is fair play. A fake commits a defender to the wrong direction, often while the attacker is dribbling, and a player is said to sell the fake when the opponent believes it. Unlike the old 'swindle' sense, nobody is defrauded here, because fooling the other side is part of the game. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

   • A sports fake is an accepted deceptive move intended to put the defender out of position. jr.nba.com
   • Fake has an archaic noun sense meaning a trick or swindle. en.wiktionary.org

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