Meaning & use

sham

noun·Academic

Something that is not genuine, presented falsely as real or true.

See it in a sentence

Investigators revealed the charity was a sham designed to collect donations for no cause.

Critics called the trial a sham, with the verdict decided long before it began.

A note on using this word

Can also be used as an adjective, as in 'a sham marriage,' to describe something staged to deceive rather than the genuine thing.

Words with a similar meaning

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

genuine

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