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

So Pte O'Callaghan faked death and, exhausted by days of fighting and probably in shock, fell asleep for several hours.

From BBC • May 28, 2022

Years before, Mr. O’Cummings’s presidential run had proved to be as short-lived as his faked death.

From New York Times • Feb. 25, 2017

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