facsimile

American  

[fak-sim-uh-lee] / fækˈsɪm ə li /

noun

1. an exact copy, as of a book, painting, or manuscript.

   Synonyms:

   duplicate, likeness, replica

2. Also called fax.  Telecommunications.

   1. a method or device for transmitting documents, drawings, photographs, or the like, by means of radio or telephone for exact reproduction elsewhere.

   2. an image transmitted by such a method.

3. dropout.

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verb (used with object)

facsimiled, facsimileing

1. to reproduce in facsimile; make a facsimile of.

   Synonyms:

   duplicate

adjective

1. Telecommunications. Also

   1. (of an image) copied by means of facsimile.

      facsimile mail.

   2. (of a method or device) used to produce a facsimile.

      facsimile transmission.

facsimile British  

/ fækˈsɪmɪlɪ /

noun

1. 1. an exact copy or reproduction

   2. ( as modifier )

      a facsimile publication

2. an image produced by facsimile transmission

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verb

1. (tr) to make an exact copy of

Etymology

Origin of facsimile

1655–65; earlier fac simile make the like, equivalent to Latin fac (imperative of facere ) + simile, noun use of neuter of similis like; see simile

Explanation

A facsimile is a copy or reproduction of something. Many parents hope their children will be facsimiles of themselves; many children have other plans in mind. Facsimile comes from two Latin roots: facere, meaning "to make," and simile, meaning "like." Fax machines are so called because they copy and transmit facsimiles of documents, or faxes for short, over phone lines. Grammatically speaking, photocopiers also make facsimiles, but oddly enough those are referred to as copies — not faxes.

Example Sentences

But would the holographic pixels of an A.I.-generated facsimile capture the tiny crevices between my brother’s crooked teeth?

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2026

We are more digitally connected than ever, yet much of that connection functions as a kind of stand-in — a convincing facsimile that still leaves us hungry.

From Salon • Jan. 19, 2026

Fax machines - formally known as facsimile machines - used to be a familiar fixture in offices as well as schools, hospitals and police stations across the country.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

Recently I received the gift of “Louis I. Kahn: The Last Notebook,” a facsimile edition of the great architect’s final sketches.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

Its streets are empty, its pavements static; to her fingers, it serves as little more than a tiny and insufficient facsimile.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Related Words

• carbon copy
• likeness
• photocopy
• replica