1
as in faux
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials
a sofa upholstered in sham leather
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in counterfeit
being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud
street vendors selling sham designer handbags to gullible tourists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mock
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
the sham friendliness of a salesman trying to sell you something
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in parody
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
condemned the rigged election as a total sham
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hoax
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
the diamond turned out to be a sham
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
that supposed French movie star was a sham
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of
shammed a most unconvincing limp just to get sympathy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sham
Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The second group used the real and sham purifiers in reverse order.
—Doug Brugge, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026
Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The set comes with two shams and is reversible with a simple solid white side.
—Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sham
Adjective
The pair created sham companies and bank and email accounts and obtained fake identification in NFL players’ names, including fake Georgia and Florida driver’s licenses.
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 28 Apr. 2026
The second group used the real and sham purifiers in reverse order.
—Doug Brugge, The Conversation, 22 Apr. 2026
Noun
Mexican federal prosecutors concluded that the state inquiry into the shooting was a sham.
—Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
The set comes with two shams and is reversible with a simple solid white side.
—Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sham
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sham
Adjective
-
Garcia, who wrote and directed the movie, has come up with some crisply clever faux-noir dialogue, and part of the joke is that Joe speaks in his hardboiled pensées while everyone else talks like a normal person.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
21 May 2026
-
Unlike many faux-jean pants that always look a little off, these still have that classic denim look.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
The report places some of the blame on social media platforms and e-commerce websites for facilitating counterfeit sales through influencer promotion and links to fake websites.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
14 May 2026
-
Shawna Keomisy was indicted in 2014, accused of using a counterfeit diploma and someone else’s medical license number to work as a physician’s assistant in Maryland.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Strangers are matched by experts and move in together after mock wedding ceremonies.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 May 2026
-
The first mock drafts tend to go up just after the previous year’s real draft ends.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
One posted a video parody of the 2004 Downfall film, portraying Bass as Hitler.—
National Correspondent,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
-
Young Frankenstein, a loving parody of 1930s monster movies, also starred Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn and Kenneth Mars.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
All of the threats, including the one at Zoo Atlanta, turned out to be hoaxes.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
-
The case of Sherri Papini, the young woman who shocked the nation with a multi-year kidnapping hoax, has been the subject of multiple documentaries since her conviction in 2022.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
The appeals court that ordered a trial court to reconsider Peters' sentence said the trial judge's consideration of her belief in the existence of 2020 election fraud went beyond what was relevant to sentencing her.—
Aysha Bagchi,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
-
Dana Williamson, former top aide to Newsom, pleaded guilty in an FBI corruption probe to bank fraud, filing a false tax return and lying to the FBI.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The two initially make a deal where Hannah exchanges free tutoring lessons for Garrett pretending to be her boyfriend, making her crush jealous.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
-
With the war’s turbulence on the economy more prevalent and the internet now throttled, Russians no longer have the luxury of pretending the war in Ukraine isn’t happening.—
Daniel DePetris,
Twin Cities,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
The bot-detection firm Cyabra analyzed seven days of activity around the ad and determined that 15 percent of the TikTok accounts commenting on it were fake but had created a disproportionately large percentage of the uproar.—
Lane Brown,
Vulture,
15 May 2026
-
To return the favor, Graham proposes a fake dating scheme with Wells to make her crush, singer Justin Kohl (Josh Heuston), jealous.—
Nasha Smith,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sham.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sham. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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