counterfeit

[ koun-ter-fit ]

/ ˈkaʊn tərˌfɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR counterfeit ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged: counterfeit dollar bills.

pretended; unreal: counterfeit grief.

noun

an imitation intended to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; forgery.

Archaic. a copy.

Archaic. a close likeness; portrait.

Obsolete. impostor; pretender.

verb (used with object)

to make a counterfeit of; imitate fraudulently; forge.

to resemble.

to simulate.

verb (used without object)

to make counterfeits, as of money.

to feign; dissemble.

Nearby words

countereconomy, counterespionage, counterexample, counterextension, counterfactual, counterfeit, counterfeiting, counterfoil, counterforce, counterfort, counterglow

Origin of counterfeit

1250–1300; (adj.) Middle English countrefet false, forged < Anglo-French cuntrefet, Old French contrefait, past participle of conterfere to copy, imitate, equivalent to conter- counter- + fere to make, do ≪ Latin facere (see fact); (v.) Middle English countrefeten, verbal derivative of countrefet

SYNONYMS FOR counterfeit

1 spurious, bogus. See false.

2 sham, feigned, simulated, fraudulent; mock, fake, ersatz.

3 falsification, sham.

7 copy; falsify.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR counterfeit ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

coun·ter·feit·er, nouncoun·ter·feit·ly, adverbcoun·ter·feit·ness, nounnon·coun·ter·feit, adjective

un·coun·ter·feit·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for counterfeit

It remains unclear when Spinal Solutions began to counterfeit surgical implants.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’|The Center for Investigative Reporting|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In one of the last desperate acts of World War II, the SS dumped crates full of counterfeit money into nearby Lake Toplitz.
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters|Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Schwend apparently retained one-third of the profits derived from the sale of the counterfeit money.
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters|Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Spitz made six trips and exchanged some 600,000 marks worth of counterfeit English pounds.
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters|Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

New York City alone, the show claims, loses $1 billion in taxes a year to the counterfeit industry.
Museum of Fakes for a City of Fakes|William O’Connor|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Maid of Holland, twenty feet high, led the van, followed by the counterfeit presentment of each of her six sisters.
The Life of John of Barneveld, 1614-23, Volume II.|John Lothrop Motley
You may depend on me for that, said the counterfeit king, as he started on his recruiting expedition.
The White Rose of Memphis|William C. Falkner
And in order to verify his words, he began to counterfeit the warbling of larks.
Breton Legends|Anonymous
Do people disguise their ideas, as they counterfeit their voices?
The Catholic World. Volume II; Numbers 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.|E. Rameur
It could discern true from false—real from counterfeit—what was genuine from sham and pretence.
Continental Monthly , Vol V. Issue III. March, 1864|Various

British Dictionary definitions for counterfeit

counterfeit

/ (ˈkaʊntəfɪt) /

adjective

made in imitation of something genuine with the intent to deceive or defraud; forged

simulated; shamcounterfeit affection

noun

an imitation designed to deceive or defraud

archaic an impostor; cheat

verb

(tr) to make a fraudulent imitation of

(intr) to make counterfeits

to feign; simulate

(tr) to imitate; copy

Derived Formscounterfeiter, noun

Word Origin for counterfeit

C13: from Old French contrefait, from contrefaire to copy, from contre- counter- + faire to make, from Latin facere

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for counterfeit

counterfeit

late 13c., from Old French contrefait "imitated" (Modern French contrefait), past participle of contrefaire "imitate," from contre- "against" (see contra-) + faire "to make, to do" (from Latin facere; see factitious). Medieval Latin contrafactio meant "setting in opposition or contrast." Related: Counterfeited; counterfeiting. The noun and adjective are from late 14c.

counterfeit

adjective

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Origin of counterfeit

Examples from the Web for counterfeit

British Dictionary definitions for counterfeit

counterfeit

adjective

noun

verb

Word Origin for counterfeit

Word Origin and History for counterfeit

counterfeit