sham (ʃæm
)
Definitions
noun
- anything that is not what it purports or appears to be
- something false, fake, or fictitious that purports to be genuine
- a person who pretends to be something other than he is
adjective
- counterfeit or false; simulated
verb
Word forms: shams, shamming, shammed
- to falsely assume the appearance of (something); counterfeit ⇒
to sham illness
Alternative Forms
ˈshammer nounWord Origin
C17: perhaps a Northern English dialect variant of shameSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
fraud,
imitation,
hoax,
pretence,
forgery,
counterfeit,
pretender,
humbug,
impostor,
feint,
pseud,
wolf in sheep's clothing,
imposture,
phoney or phony
Usage examples
Joe yelled, his fingers itching to wipe the sham of pity off Noah's face.
, EVERVILLE (2001)The Byzantine capital approval processes in the NHS - which are a jobsworth sham - never pose this question.
British Medical Journal (2002)Many Pakistanis see their latest return to parliamentary rule as a sham , with Mr. Musharraf locked in a standoff with the opposition.
Globe and Mail (2003)CRIMINAL scenes in a Cook Report special called The Dodgy Motor Show were a sham , according to a club bouncer who took part.
Sun, News of the World (2000)But scratch the surface and you discover how much is sham and showy bravado.
, Deadlier than the Male (1994)