counterfeit

American  

[koun-ter-fit] / ˈkaʊn tərˌfɪt /

adjective

1. made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged.

   counterfeit dollar bills.

   Synonyms:

   bogus, spurious

2. pretended; unreal.

   counterfeit grief.

   Synonyms:

   ersatz, fake, mock, make-believe, pretend, feigned, sham

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noun

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

   Synonyms:

   sham, falsification

2. Archaic. a copy.

3. Archaic. a close likeness; portrait.

4. Obsolete. impostor; pretender.

verb (used with object)

1. to make a counterfeit of; imitate fraudulently; forge.

   Synonyms:

   falsify, copy

2. to resemble.

3. to simulate.

verb (used without object)

1. to make counterfeits, as of money.

2. to feign; dissemble.

counterfeit British  

/ ˈkaʊntəfɪt /

adjective

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

2. simulated; sham

   counterfeit affection

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noun

1. an imitation designed to deceive or defraud

2. archaic an impostor; cheat

verb

1. (tr) to make a fraudulent imitation of

2. (intr) to make counterfeits

3. to feign; simulate

4. (tr) to imitate; copy

Related Words

See false.

Other Word Forms

• counterfeiter noun
• counterfeitly adverb
• counterfeitness noun
• noncounterfeit adjective
• uncounterfeited adjective

Etymology

Origin of counterfeit

First recorded in 1250–1300; (adjective) Middle English countrefet “false, forged,” from Anglo-French cuntrefet, Old French contrefait, contrefet, past participle of contrefaire, contrefere “to copy, imitate,” equivalent to conter- counter- + fere “to make, do,” ultimately from Latin facere ( fact ); (verb) Middle English countrefeten, verbal derivative of countrefet

Example Sentences

A spokesperson for Walmart said the company is aware of the complaint and has zero tolerance for counterfeit products.

From The Wall Street Journal

A startup says its technology can help retailers identify counterfeit merchandise returned for a refund, a way for merchants to catch fraudsters trying to exploit their returns policies.

From The Wall Street Journal

He also has strayed into investigative stories such as pharmaceutical counterfeits, sanctions, money laundering and terror finance.

From The Wall Street Journal

The tech also assigns a counterfeiting risk score based on the company’s years of collecting information on real and fake items.

From The Wall Street Journal

A federal jury has convicted a San Diego-area couple on conspiracy charges in connection with an elaborate scheme to sell millions of bottles of counterfeit 5-Hour Energy shots in the U.S., prosecutors announced.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bogus
• copied
• false
• fictitious
• forged
• fraudulent
• phony
• spurious