counterfeit

[ koun-ter-fit ]

/ ˈkaʊn tərˌfɪt /

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See synonyms for: counterfeit / counterfeited / counterfeiting 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR counterfeit

1 spurious, bogus.

2 sham, feigned, pretend, make-believe; mock, fake, ersatz.

3 falsification, sham.

7 copy; falsify.

See synonyms for counterfeit on Thesaurus.com

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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 (see fact); (verb) Middle English countrefeten, verbal derivative of countrefet

synonym study for counterfeit

1. See false.

OTHER WORDS FROM counterfeit

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. 2022

How to use counterfeit in a sentence

To others, it is a scary online marketplace where people can buy drugs, guns, counterfeit money, or even login credentials to a stolen Netflix account.
How the dark web became a haven for unemployment insurance fraud|jakemeth|November 25, 2020|Fortune
She told me that drugs purchased through online storefronts are often adulterated or counterfeit—in fact, the global trade in fake medicines is a $30 billion-a-year business.
Drug imports endanger patients like me|Brandon Macsata|November 13, 2020|Washington Blade
Though Fitzpatrick made her current Instagram account private, her website is still online where it shows her promoting the so-called “hidden links” on Amazon where consumers could buy the counterfeits.
Amazon sues online influencers engaged in a counterfeit scheme|Sarah Perez|November 12, 2020|TechCrunch
They also promoted the high quality of their luxury counterfeit goods using videos on Instagram, TikTok and personal websites, and sent users to Amazon and other e-commerce websites, like DHgate, to transact.
Amazon sues online influencers engaged in a counterfeit scheme|Sarah Perez|November 12, 2020|TechCrunch

Steadman had seen the many reports of counterfeit masks making their way to hospitals, endangering nurses and doctors.
Foreign Masks, Fear and a Fake Certification: Staff at CSL Plasma Say Conditions at Donation Centers Aren’t Safe|by J. David McSwane|September 21, 2020|ProPublica
As a career counterfeiter of credit cards, I didn't find money or ID much of a problem, but trust always was.
Trust Me, Dominique, Don't Run|Mansfield Frazier|May 18, 2011|DAILY BEAST
He turned out to be a counterfeiter of coin and currency, and suffered the punishment that all counterfeiters deserve.
The Old Pike|Thomas B. Searight
He was able to abstract the paper from the office, and a counterfeiter in the community forged the formula and signatures.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Vol. 15, No. 87, March, 1875|Various
While among them I studied the badness, the power, the brutality and the arrogance of the counterfeiter and the assassin.
The Barrel Mystery|William J. (William James) Flynn
Sometimes water and sky are done with the ruling engine, and when they are, no counterfeiter can successfully imitate them.
Burroughs' Encyclopaedia of Astounding Facts and Useful Information, 1889|Barkham Burroughs
The adulterer seeks secrecy; so do the thief and the counterfeiter; so do conspirators for evil ends.
Secret Societies|David MacDill, Jonathan Blanchard, and Edward Beecher

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 forms of counterfeit

counterfeiter, 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

counterfeit

OTHER WORDS FOR counterfeit

Origin of counterfeit

synonym study for counterfeit

OTHER WORDS FROM counterfeit

Words related to counterfeit

How to use counterfeit in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for counterfeit

Derived forms of counterfeit

Word Origin for counterfeit