counterfeit

[koun-ter-fit]

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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.

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

Related formscoun·ter·feit·er, nouncoun·ter·feit·ly, adverbcoun·ter·feit·ness, nounnon·coun·ter·feit, adjectiveun·coun·ter·feit·ed, adjective

Synonyms for counterfeit

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1. spurious, bogus. See false. 2. sham, feigned, simulated, fraudulent; mock, fake, ersatz. 3. falsification, sham. 7. copy; falsify.

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

Related Words for counterfeiter

pretender, plagiarist, paperhanger

Examples from the Web for counterfeiter

Historical Examples of counterfeiter

Larry la Roche had been a counterfeiter and was a consummate penman.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
Water-marked paper has, so far, escaped the counterfeiter's arts.
Harper's Young People, June 14, 1881
Various
Some thought he was a counterfeiter in disguise, and others called him a conjurer.
Sheppard Lee, Vol. I (of 2)
Robert Montgomery Bird
What do you think was the counterfeiter's excuse for running away?
Harper's Young People, November 23, 1880
Various
The counterfeiter, like other copyists, reproduces as accurately as possible the final result.
The Social Gangster
Arthur B. Reeve

British Dictionary definitions for counterfeiter

counterfeit

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 counterfeiter

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.