fake

¹

[feyk]

verb (used with object)

faked, faking 

1. prepare or make (something specious, deceptive, or fraudulent).

   to fake a report showing nonexistent profits.

2. to conceal the defects of or make appear more attractive, interesting, valuable, etc., usually in order to deceive.

   The story was faked a bit to make it more sensational.

3. to pretend; simulate.

   to fake illness.

   Synonyms: fabricate, sham, dissemble, affect, feign

4. to accomplish by trial and error or by improvising.

   I don't know the job, but I can fake it.

5. to trick or deceive (an opponent) by making a fake (often followed byout ).

   The running back faked out the defender with a deft move and scored.

6. Jazz.

   1. to improvise.

      to fake an accompaniment.

   2. to play (music) without reading from a score.

verb (used without object)

faked, faking 

1. to fake something; pretend.

2. to give a fake to an opponent.

noun

1. anything made to appear otherwise than it actually is; counterfeit.

   This diamond necklace is a fake.

2. a person who fakes; faker.

   The doctor with the reputed cure for cancer proved to be a fake.

   Synonyms: deceiver, charlatan, quack, impostor, fraud

3. a spurious report or story.

4. Sports.,  a simulated play or move intended to deceive an opponent.

adjective

1. designed to deceive or cheat; not real; counterfeit.

verb phrase

1. fake out

   1. to trick; deceive.

      She faked me out by acting friendly and then stole my job.

   2. to surprise, as by a sudden reversal.

      They thought we weren't coming back, but we faked them out by showing up during dinner.

fake

²

[feyk]

verb (used with object)

faked, faking 

1. to lay (a rope) in a coil or series of long loops so as to allow to run freely without fouling or kinking (often followed bydown ).

noun

1. any complete turn of a rope that has been faked down.

2. any of the various ways in which a rope may be faked down.

fake

¹

/ feɪk /

verb

1. (tr) to cause (something inferior or not genuine) to appear more valuable, desirable, or real by fraud or pretence

2. to pretend to have (an illness, emotion, etc)

   to fake a headache

3. to improvise (music, stage dialogue, etc)

noun

1. an object, person, or act that is not genuine; sham, counterfeit, or forgery

adjective

1. not genuine; spurious

fake

²

/ feɪk /

verb

1. to coil (a rope) on deck

noun

1. one round of a coil of rope

Other Word Forms

• faker noun
• fakery noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fake¹

First recorded in 1805–15; originally vagrants' slang: “to do for, rob, kill (someone), shape (something)”; perhaps variant of obsolete feak, feague “to beat,” akin to Dutch veeg “a slap,” vegen “to sweep, wipe”

Origin of fake²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English faken “to coil (a rope),” of obscure origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of fake¹

originally (C18) thieves' slang to mug or do someone; probably via Polari from Italian facciare to make or do

Origin of fake²

Middle English faken , perhaps via Lingua Franca from Italian facciare to make or do; see _fake ¹

Example Sentences

Six were charged in the first case of players allegedly faking injuries to influence betting odds, including Miami Heat player Rozier.

Read more on BBC

His fake menagerie has become a popular roadside attraction.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

As the mall fell into disrepair, she posted stunts on social media to try to generate business, including a fake wedding ceremony to declare her marriage to the mall.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The whole affair was, Ms. Dhillon said, “totally fake and bulls—.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

To celebrate, she went to a park with her family and popped a confetti cannon filled with fake money.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• bogus 
• counterfeit 
• fabricated 
• fictitious 
• forged www.thesaurus.com
• fraudulent 
• mock 
• phony 
• spurious 

When To Use

What is a basic definition of fake?

Fake describes something as not being real or as being an imitation that is designed to trick someone into thinking it is real or original. Fake also refers to a forgery or copy and is used to mean to pretend. Fake has several other senses as a noun and a verb.If something is fake, it resembles something else but isn’t exactly the same. For example, a diamond is made from pressurized carbon over thousands of years. A fake diamond might have been made from glass in five minutes.Most of the time, fake things are designed to be nearly identical to the original in order to trick or cheat someone. But not always. A resort might make fake snow out of crushed ice so it can offer skiing or snowboarding when it hasn’t snowed. The key is whether something is acknowledged or labelled as fake. Lying to customers by claiming that fake items are real is considered fraud and is against the law.

• Real-life examples: Con artists often swindle people by selling fake jewelry, watches, antiques, and other cheap copies of expensive things. A person might wear fake nails or fake eyelashes. An indoor sports stadium may use fake grass.



• Used in a sentence: I make fake swords to be used in movies. 

In this same sense, fake is used as a noun to mean a copy or fabrication.

• Used in a sentence: The car expert could easily tell if the sports car was a real Bugatti or a fake. 

Also in this sense, fake is used as a verb to mean to make something that isn’t real or is a copy.

• Used in a sentence: He faked hundreds of Roman coins before the authorities caught on to his scam.

As a verb, fake can also mean to pretend or to simulate something.

• Used in a sentence: I faked illness so I could stay home from school.