sham

[ sham ]

/ ʃæm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sham ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

something that is not what it purports to be; a spurious imitation; fraud or hoax.

a person who shams; shammer.

a cover or the like for giving a thing a different outward appearance: a pillow sham.

adjective

pretended; counterfeit; feigned: sham attacks; a sham Gothic façade.

designed, made, or used as a sham.

verb (used with object), shammed, sham·ming.

to produce an imitation of.

to assume the appearance of; pretend to have: to sham illness.

verb (used without object), shammed, sham·ming.

to make a false show of something; pretend.

Nearby words

shalom, shalom aleichem, shalosh seudoth, shalt, shalwar, sham, shama, shaman, shamanic, shamanism, shamash

Origin of sham

First recorded in 1670–80; origin uncertain

SYNONYMS FOR sham

1 pretense.

4 spurious, make-believe, simulated, mock. See false.

6 imitate.

7 feign, fake.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sham ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR sham

4 genuine.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR sham ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·shammed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sham

Also in 1997, Hayes entered a sham marriage with a Nigerian immigrant, for which she was paid $5,000.
The Crazy Oregon Governor Race Just Got Crazier|Tim Mak|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Then came the admission of a sham marriage with an immigrant.
The Crazy Oregon Governor Race Just Got Crazier|Tim Mak|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But for the literalists who simply must know, who must look behind the curtain, who must see if Oz is real or a sham?
Holy Homophobia, Batman! A Queer Reading of the Dark Knight|Rich Goldstein|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As the pyramid grew, the teen struggled to manage his responsibilities at home, in school and with his sham company.
He Bullies Kids and Calls It News|Brandy Zadrozny|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The protest and legal action had been a sham, Mrs. Kasem said.
Casey Kasem's Family's Top 40 Meltdown Moments|Tim Teeman|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Really comfortable, in a human way, not in the sham way of the City.
Ripeness is All|Jesse Roarke
Sham Rao cast a furtive, timid look round him; and his voice, when he answered our questions, was somewhat tremulous.
From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan|Helena Pretrovna Blavatsky
A critic of the highest order is provided with an Ithuriel spear, which discriminates the sham sentiments from the true.
Hours in a Library, Volume I. (of III.)|Leslie Stephen
And before his journey was over, amid his sham triumphs, he began to be disturbed by disquieting rumours.
Darkness and Dawn|Frederic W. Farrar
The sham German philanthropist glared ferociously as this description was given.
Jack Harkaway and His Son's Escape From the Brigand's of Greece|Bracebridge Hemyng

British Dictionary definitions for sham

sham

/ (ʃæm) /

noun

anything that is not what it purports or appears to be

something false, fake, or fictitious that purports to be genuine

a person who pretends to be something other than he is

adjective

counterfeit or false; simulated

verb shams, shamming or shammed

to falsely assume the appearance of (something); counterfeitto sham illness

Derived Formsshammer, noun

Word Origin for sham

C17: perhaps a Northern English dialect variant of shame

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

sham

noun

adjective

verb (used with object), shammed, sham·ming.

verb (used without object), shammed, sham·ming.

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of sham

Examples from the Web for sham

British Dictionary definitions for sham

sham

noun

adjective

verb shams, shamming or shammed

Word Origin for sham