Fake — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be

a person who makes deceitful pretenses

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/fˈeɪk/

🇬🇧British English

/fˈeɪk/

🇮🇳Indian English

/fˈeɪk/

1 syllable Say it as /fˈeɪk/.

Examples

he faked the signature
they counterfeited dollar bills
She forged a Green Card

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

talk through one's hat misrepresent juke role player pretender phoney cook bull false sham faker phony manipulate imposter pseud impostor postiche bastard counterfeit bullshit faux fudge imitation shammer

Parts of Speech

noun	something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
noun	a person who makes deceitful pretenses
noun	(football) a deceptive move made by a football player
verb	make a copy of with the intent to deceive “he faked the signature”
verb	tamper, with the purpose of deception “Fudge the figures”
verb	speak insincerely or without regard for facts or truths “The politician was not well prepared for the debate and faked it”
adjective	fraudulent; having a misleading appearance
adjective	not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article “it isn't fake anything; it's real synthetic fur”

Word Forms

fake	adjective	not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article
fake	verb	speak insincerely or without regard for facts or truths
sham	adjective	adopted in order to deceive
sham	verb	make believe with the intent to deceive
pretend	verb	behave unnaturally or affectedly
forger	noun	someone who makes copies illegally
forgery	noun	a copy that is represented as the original
fake	noun	a person who makes deceitful pretenses
fakery	noun	the act of faking (or the product of faking)
counterfeiter	noun	someone who makes copies illegally
counterfeit	noun	a copy that is represented as the original
faker	noun	a person who makes deceitful pretenses
falsification	noun	a willful perversion of facts
falsity	noun	the state of being false or untrue
falsifier	noun	someone who falsifies
wangle	noun	an instance of accomplishing something by scheming or trickery
wangler	noun	a deceiver who uses crafty misleading methods
misrepresentation	noun	a misleading falsehood
bullshit	noun	obscene words for unacceptable behavior
bull	noun	obscene words for unacceptable behavior
phony	noun	a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives
phoney	noun	a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives
bastard	noun	derogatory term for a variation that is not genuine; something irregular or inferior or of dubious origin

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

gefälscht

etwas, das eine Fälschung ist; nicht das, was es zu sein scheint

🇫🇷French

faux

quelque chose qui est une contrefaçon ; pas ce que ça semble être

🇪🇸Spanish

falso

algo que es una falsificación; no es lo que parece ser

🇮🇹Italian

impostore

qualcosa che è contraffatto; non quello che sembra essere

🇳🇱Dutch

nep

iets dat namaak is; niet wat het lijkt te zijn

🇵🇹Portuguese

falso

algo que é falsificado; não é o que parece ser

🇷🇺Russian

фальшивый

что-то поддельное; не то, чем кажется

India

🇮🇳Hindi

नकली

कुछ ऐसा जो नकली है; जैसा दिखता है वैसा नहीं है

🇧🇩Bengali

জাল

এমন কিছু যা জাল; এটা কি মনে হয় না

🇮🇳Tamil

போலி

போலியான ஒன்று; அது போல் இல்லை

🇮🇳Telugu

నకిలీ

నకిలీ అని ఏదో; అనిపించేది కాదు

🇮🇳Marathi

बनावट

काहीतरी बनावट आहे; ते दिसते तसे नाही

🇮🇳Gujarati

નકલી

કંઈક કે જે નકલી છે; તે જે લાગે છે તે નથી

🇮🇳Kannada

ನಕಲಿ

ನಕಲಿ ಎಂದು ಏನೋ; ಅದು ತೋರುತ್ತಿರುವಂತೆ ಅಲ್ಲ

🇮🇳Malayalam

വ്യാജം

വ്യാജമായ എന്തെങ്കിലും; തോന്നുന്നത് പോലെയല്ല

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਜਾਅਲੀ

ਕੋਈ ਚੀਜ਼ ਜੋ ਨਕਲੀ ਹੈ; ਨਹੀਂ ਜੋ ਇਹ ਜਾਪਦਾ ਹੈ

🇵🇰Urdu

جعلی

ایسی چیز جو جعلی ہے؛ ایسا نہیں جو لگتا ہے

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

伪造的

假货；不是看上去的那样

🇯🇵Japanese

偽物

偽物であるもの。見た目とは違う

🇰🇷Korean

가짜

위조된 것; 그럴 것 같지는 않아

🇻🇳Vietnamese

giả mạo

thứ gì đó là hàng giả; không phải những gì nó có vẻ là

🇹🇭Thai

ปลอม

สิ่งที่เป็นของปลอม ไม่ใช่สิ่งที่ดูเหมือนเป็น

🇮🇩Indonesian

palsu

sesuatu yang palsu; tidak seperti yang terlihat

🇵🇭Filipino

peke

isang bagay na peke; hindi kung ano ang tila

🇲🇾Malay

palsu

sesuatu yang palsu; bukan apa yang nampak

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

مزيف

شيء مزيف؛ ليس كما يبدو

🇮🇷Persian

جعلی

چیزی که تقلبی است؛ نه آن چیزی که به نظر می رسد

🇹🇷Turkish

sahte

sahte olan bir şey; göründüğü gibi değil

🇮🇱Hebrew

מְזוּיָף

משהו שהוא זיוף; לא מה שזה נראה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'fake'?

The primary meaning of 'fake' is 'something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'fake' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'fake' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'fake' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'fake' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'fake' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'fake' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'fake' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'fake' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'fake' in a professional email?

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Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'fake' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted