counterfeit
Americanadjective
noun
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an imitation intended to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; forgery.
- Synonyms:
- sham, falsification
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Archaic. a copy.
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Archaic. a close likeness; portrait.
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Obsolete. impostor; pretender.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to make counterfeits, as of money.
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to feign; dissemble.
adjective
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made in imitation of something genuine with the intent to deceive or defraud; forged
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simulated; sham
counterfeit affection
noun
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an imitation designed to deceive or defraud
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archaic an impostor; cheat
verb
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(tr) to make a fraudulent imitation of
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(intr) to make counterfeits
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to feign; simulate
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(tr) to imitate; copy
Synonym Usage
See false.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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counterfeiternoun
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counterfeitnessnoun
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noncounterfeitadjective
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uncounterfeitedadjective
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counterfeitlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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counterfeitsimple
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counterfeitssimple
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have counterfeitedperfect
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has counterfeitedperfect
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am counterfeitingprogressive
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are counterfeitingprogressive
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is counterfeitingprogressive
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have been counterfeitingperfect progressive
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has been counterfeitingperfect progressive
Past
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counterfeitedsimple
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had counterfeitedperfect
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was counterfeitingprogressive
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were counterfeitingprogressive
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had been counterfeitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of counterfeit
First recorded in 1250–1300; (adjective) Middle English countrefet “false, forged,” from Anglo-French cuntrefet, Old French contrefait, contrefet, past participle of contrefaire, contrefere “to copy, imitate,” equivalent to conter- counter- + fere “to make, do,” ultimately from Latin facere ( see fact); (verb) Middle English countrefeten, verbal derivative of countrefet
Explanation
A counterfeit is a fake or a forgery. If you painted an uncanny copy of the "Mona Lisa" and tried to pass it off as the original, you'd have a counterfeit on your hands. An exact imitation of anything — a work of art, a ten dollar bill — is a counterfeit, and the act of creating the fake copy is the verb to counterfeit. You can also describe the forgery using the adjective form of counterfeit: a counterfeit Rolex watch. In Old French, the word contre, "counter or against", together with the word faire, "to make," joined together to mean "to make in imitation," which led to our counterfeit.
Vocabulary lists containing counterfeit
Against All Odds: Contra and Counter
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Fake It 'Til You Make It: Synonyms for "False"
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Phillip McKnight’s love affair with Stratocaster guitars started at age 15 when he got a counterfeit version of the Fender icon—and an amp—for $120.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
Inside, they discovered a large quantity of designer goods, along with counterfeit items, packaging materials, retail tags and identifiable stolen property.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Major online platforms say they are "working hard to protect customers" by removing unsafe and counterfeit goods from sale.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
The Consorzio said that in the European Union, “it is absolutely forbidden to sell or advertise these counterfeit products.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
They had been tracking down the source of the American counterfeit money that showed up in Morocco, and by coincidence arrived at the Chelsea just seconds after the FBI.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
