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sham

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noun

sham

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sham different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of sham are counterfeit, fake, fraud, humbug, and imposture. While all these words mean "a thing made to seem other than it is," sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.

condemned the election as a sham

Where would counterfeit be a reasonable alternative to sham?

In some situations, the words counterfeit and sham are roughly equivalent. However, counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.

20-dollar bills that were counterfeits

When could fake be used to replace sham?

The meanings of fake and sham largely overlap; however, fake implies an imitation of or substitution for the genuine but does not necessarily imply dishonesty.

these jewels are fakes; the real ones are in the vault

In what contexts can fraud take the place of sham?

While the synonyms fraud and sham are close in meaning, fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.

the diary was exposed as a fraud

When is it sensible to use humbug instead of sham?

Although the words humbug and sham have much in common, humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.

creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public

When might imposture be a better fit than sham?

The words imposture and sham can be used in similar contexts, but imposture applies to any situation in which a spurious object or performance is passed off as genuine.

their claim of environmental concern is an imposture

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sham
Adjective
Workers will not be distracted or deterred by Amazon's last-ditch efforts to maintain its sham business model at the expense of working people. Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2024 Western leaders were right not to congratulate Saied on his sham victory. Sarah E. Yerkes, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
The 2018 election was widely considered a sham after his government banned major opposition parties from participating. Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025 Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and others used this access to delegitimize every part of the proceeding, calling the trial a sham, questioning witnesses’ credibility, and accusing Merchan of bias. Richard Robbins, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for sham 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sham
Adjective
  • The doll sports a black faux leather ensemble, dark shades, and her signature swooped hairstyle.
    Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 21 Jan. 2025
  • Outerwear was opulent, with faux fur and substantial shearling collars adorning traditional topcoats at Dolce & Gabbana and Prada.
    Luisa Zargani, WWD, 21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Criminals hide behind legitimate businesses on marketplaces and then filter money, which may or may not come from the sale of counterfeit items to human traffickers, drug cartels and terrorist groups.
    Fernando Castellanos, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Action taken may include removing counterfeit listings and blocking accounts.
    Mia Sato, The Verge, 19 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • One person that many pay attention to is Mel Kiper, who has been a mock draft extraordinaire for decades.
    Raul A. Reyes, Newsweek, 22 Jan. 2025
  • The following scenes are set in that show and tell the ogre's story through life-size wooden puppets complete with mock strings attached to their arms.
    Caroline Reid, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • By combining the monikers of two government agencies, the FBI: CIA title may inspire some sendups in the vein of Adult Swim’s crime procedural parody NTSF:SD:SUV::.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Could one match the popularity of the parody of the Brooks & Dunn song?
    Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • The hoax comes 10 days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
    Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Matthew Muller, a Harvard lawyer and former Marine who grew up in Sacramento County, is serving a 40-year prison sentence for kidnapping and raping Denise Huskins, now Denise Huskins Quinn, in March 2015 — events that the Vallejo Police Department initially deemed a hoax.
    Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 8 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • When Trump’s civil case on financial fraud ramped up in New York City — and through methods that are highly creative (and highly off-the-record) — Brourman finagled a seat with the other courtroom sketch artists, who were not entirely welcoming to this stilettoed upstart in their midst.
    Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2025
  • Previous installments examined fraud in local governments, police vetting requirements and the water crisis in Kansas.
    Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Laurel continues to mock both Emily and Ryan, and then pulls out a book to pretend to read to ignore everyone.
    EW.com, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2025
  • After the first, McLaurin tried his own idea, which was pretending to pull a mask down over his head.
    Sam Fortier The Washington Post, arkansasonline.com, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The group’s stage show would double as something like a live-act pilot for a fake TV series.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The fake list contains a few different hyper-obscure characters that seem potentially unlikely to arrive.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes, 24 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near sham

Cite this Entry

“Sham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sham. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on sham

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