bogus

[boh-guhs]

adjective

1. not genuine; counterfeit; spurious; sham.

   Synonyms: phony, fake, pseudo, fraudulent

noun

1. Printing, Journalism.,  matter set, by union requirement, by a compositor and later discarded, duplicating the text of an advertisement for which a plate has been supplied or type set by another publisher.

bogus

/ ˈbəʊɡəs /

adjective

1. spurious or counterfeit; not genuine

   a bogus note

Other Word Forms

• bogusly adverb
• bogusness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bogus¹

1825–30, originally an apparatus for coining false money; perhaps akin to bogy ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of bogus¹

C19: from bogus apparatus for making counterfeit money; perhaps related to _bogey ¹

Example Sentences

As a result, some victims report a constant level of uncertainty and anxiety in the wake of a breach: What if today is the day my data is used in a bogus transaction?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The BBC discovered that at least 12 homes on Mr Harrison and Ms Heaton's street had been targeted with bogus accounts, set up on the same day in common Hungarian names.

Read more on BBC

This is a completely bogus line of reasoning.

Read more on MarketWatch

Fraud targeting hauliers - including criminals using bogus haulage companies - is on the rise in the UK, according to the police's National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service.

Read more on BBC

Secretary of Health and Human Services — and lobbyist Greg Campbell to bill the dormant campaign account for bogus consulting services.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fake 
• false 
• fictitious 
• forged www.thesaurus.com
• fraudulent 
• phony 
• sham 
• spurious