Meaning & use
fake
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noundisapproving
Not real, but made or presented so that people believe it is real.
Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: a fake passport, not a passport is fake in careful style.
Patterns
- fake something
- fake money or documents
- fake smile or excuse
The bank refused the fake twenty-dollar bill.
She gave a fake smile to end the conversation.
Investigators found fake documents in the office.
nouncountabledisapproving
A person or thing that is not what it claims to be.
Grammar: Can be singular or plural: the painting was a fake; several fakes were sold.
Patterns
- a fake of something
- detect or expose a fake
- a complete fake
The painting looked old, but it was a fake.
Experts exposed the coin as a fake.
He acted friendly, yet she felt he was a fake.
verbtransitivedisapproving
To pretend to have a feeling, illness, skill, or reaction that is not real.
Grammar: Takes an object: fake enthusiasm; it does not take an object in this sense.
Patterns
- fake an illness
- fake interest or surprise
- fake it
He tried to fake a cough to leave work early.
She faked interest during the long meeting.
I do not know the steps, so I will just fake it.
verbtransitivedisapproving
To make or copy something falsely so it appears genuine.
Grammar: Takes an object: fake a signature; contrast with pretend, which does not mean physically copy.
Patterns
- fake a signature
- fake evidence or records
- fake something for money
The clerk was accused of faking customer signatures.
They faked the test results to keep the contract.
Someone had faked the museum label.
Word forms
| third person singular | fakes |
|---|---|
| past tense | faked |
| past participle | faked |
| -ing form | faking |
| plural | fakes |
Common combinations
- fake news
- The report spread fake news before the election.
- fake smile
- His fake smile disappeared when the camera turned away.
- fake ID
- Security noticed a fake ID at the entrance.
- fake it
- If you forget the words, breathe slowly and fake it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- false
- Very close for documents or statements, but false often sounds more formal than fake.
- counterfeit
- Used mainly for copied money, art, or goods made to deceive; stronger than fake.
- bogus
- Informal and often exaggerated; fake is more neutral and common.
- sham
- Emphasizes something empty or pretended rather than merely copied.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fake or false? fake or faux?
fake vs false
False means wrong or untrue, while fake means deliberately made to seem real.
fake vs faux
Faux often sounds stylish or technical, as in faux leather; fake is broader and more direct.
Practice
Choose the best word: The painting was examined and declared a ___.
Choose one answer.
Fake is the noun for a thing that is not genuine. Faking is a verb form, fakery is the practice, and faker refers to a person.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fake”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.