faked death

American  

[feykt deth] / ˈfeɪkt ˈdɛθ /

noun

1. the act of convincing others that one’s own pretended death is real, often to escape such circumstances as debt or abuse and to thereafter live undetected.

   Fraudulent insurance claims involving the “survivors” of faked deaths are not as uncommon as you may think.

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Etymology

Origin of faked death

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

MTV’s faked death is an example of that.

From Salon • Jan. 21, 2026

Police in Bremerton are asking anyone with information about Basham during the years since his faked death in 2009 to contact Det.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2024

Then there was John Darwin, better known as canoe man, who wrote what I assume to have been A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Foolishness about his faked death.

From The Guardian • May 14, 2013

Assets included a fourth floor apartment in Panama City More than half a million pounds has been recovered from Anne Darwin in connection with an insurance fraud over her husband's faked death.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2012

Many strands of the narrative are individually engaging — particularly the Iranian spy’s faked death, his flight to Dubai and his sub rosa return to confront his would-be killers.

From New York Times • Feb. 19, 2010