counterfeit

[koun-ter-fit]

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

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

/ ˈkaʊntəfɪt /

adjective

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

2. simulated; sham

   counterfeit affection

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of counterfeit¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of counterfeit¹

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

Synonym Study

See false.

Example Sentences

"We know of businesses here in Wales who are being suffocated by a flood of counterfeit versions of their products online."

Read more on BBC

Prosecutors allege the men were “members of a criminal network that distributed thousands of counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl, among other drugs” to young adults and teenagers living in New York City.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But on Tuesday, agents hit Canal Street in Chinatown, picking up nine African men suspected of being in the country illegally during an operation Homeland Security said focused on counterfeit goods.

Read more on Barron's

The arrests in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood were part of an operation targeting criminal activity related to the selling of counterfeit goods, the Department of Homeland Security said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The arrests in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood were part of an operation targeting criminal activity related to the selling of counterfeit goods, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bogus 
• copied www.thesaurus.com
• false 
• fictitious 
• forged www.thesaurus.com
• fraudulent 
• phony 
• spurious