1
as in fake
being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud
counterfeit currency that had been passed all over town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in double
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express
when it comes to the poor, his compassion is so counterfeit—he gives a damn, and that's all that he gives
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in hoax
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
the will as well as the other documents turned out to be counterfeits
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fake
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive
an expert at counterfeiting money
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
managing to counterfeit a happy expression while visiting a sick friend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of counterfeit
Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 July 2025
Customs at the Ningbo port, one of the country's busiest ports, seized over a million counterfeit Labubu dolls in the first six months of this year, over intellectual property violations and smuggling concerns.
—Anniek Bao,lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 4 July 2025
Francesca Krempa, StyleCaster, 10 Apr. 2025
On counterfeits, the color is almost always wrong, usually a highlighter shade of yellow instead.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 20 Mar. 2025
When he was arrested in November, Jackson was in a car with another person, where Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies also found a printer and counterfeit $2, $5, $10, $20 and $100 bills.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterfeit
Adjective
Be cautious when shopping on Amazon or other sites that may sell counterfeit products.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 July 2025
Customs at the Ningbo port, one of the country's busiest ports, seized over a million counterfeit Labubu dolls in the first six months of this year, over intellectual property violations and smuggling concerns.
—Anniek Bao,lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 4 July 2025
Noun
Longer answer: Many of these products are either mass-produced by unbranded manufacturers or straight-up counterfeit.
—Francesca Krempa, StyleCaster, 10 Apr. 2025
On counterfeits, the color is almost always wrong, usually a highlighter shade of yellow instead.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025
Verb
What about the increasingly complex supply chain for electronics, involving international sourcing, multi-stage assembly, and potentially counterfeiting?
—Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 20 Mar. 2025
When he was arrested in November, Jackson was in a car with another person, where Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies also found a printer and counterfeit $2, $5, $10, $20 and $100 bills.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for counterfeit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterfeit
Adjective
-
How tariff news fuels some scams The Better Business Bureau warned earlier this summer that some scammers are using fake excuses involving delays caused by tariffs to cover up fraudulent online orders.—
Susan Tompor,
Freep.com,
24 July 2025
-
Instead, the mysterious company started by a legislative aide under a fake name helped three people funnel more than $50,000 to two politicians and a top aide, federal prosecutors said.—
Craig Shoup,
The Tennessean,
23 July 2025
Adjective
-
The Sox fell into a hole after a two-run double by Bryce Harper in the third inning.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
29 July 2025
-
His double off the brick arcade would’ve cleared the fence in every major-league ballpark except the one built hard against McCovey Cove.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
27 July 2025
Noun
-
Trump has dismissed concerns about his administration's handling of the situation and made claims that the conspiracy theories were a hoax.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
29 July 2025
-
While much of the pressure for more information is coming from the president's own MAGA base, Trump continues to insist the controversy is a hoax that's been built up way beyond proportion by his political enemies.—
Franco Ordoñez,
NPR,
29 July 2025
Verb
-
While the partnership is forging ahead and expects to break ground in 2027, the project still faces myriad challenges.—
Ella McCarthy,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
To this end, campaigners forged an equivalence between taking sugar and drinking human blood.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 July 2025
Verb
-
Last year, cyber authorities in Switzerland warned about a similar scheme involving letters that pretended to be a federal meteorology office.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
1 Aug. 2025
-
The next morning, on Tuesday, July 29, the costars pretended to get caught making out on live TV for a funny moment while visiting the Today show together.—
Sarah Jones,
People.com,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The leaders who rise—and the companies that outperform—will be those that refuse the false trade-off.—
Jack Zenger,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
-
One of the things your piece says is that, essentially for the entire duration of the war, there’ve been false warnings about a hunger crisis.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
The county did not respond to The Enquirer's request for a copy of the contract and did not reveal the cost or specifics of the arrangement.—
Scott Wartman,
The Enquirer,
30 July 2025
-
The State Fair's current lease with the city of Dallas — which owns the 277-acre Fair Park — does not end until 2038, according to a copy of the contract obtained by the American-Statesman.—
Bayliss Wagner,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Verb
-
What constitutes the crime is to phony up business accounting records to disguise the payments.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2024
-
In fact, legislators and regulators are rolling back regulations designed to protect investors, who in this case are estimated to have lost $100 billion to phony Chinese firms.—
Gary Thompson,
Philly.com,
29 Mar. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Counterfeit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterfeit. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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