sham
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
Intended to deceive.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
shamIPA pronunciation (US)
ʃæm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine.
“The time-share deal was a sham.”
Trickery, hoaxing.
“A con-man must be skilled in the arts of sham and deceit.”
A false front, or removable ornamental covering.
A decorative cover for a pillow.
adjective
Intended to deceive; false.
“It was only a sham wedding: they didn't care much for one another, but wanted their parents to stop hassling them.”
Counterfeit; unreal
verb
To deceive, cheat, lie.
To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.
To obtrude by fraud or imposition.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine.
Used this way, sham is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“The time-share deal was a sham.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Fakenoun
“The time-share deal was a sham.”
Trickerynoun
“A con-man must be skilled in the arts of sham and deceit.”
Intendedadjective
“It was only a sham wedding: they didn't care much for one another, but wanted their parents to stop hassling them.”
More ways to use sham
- “It was only a sham wedding: they didn't care much for one another, but wanted their parents to stop hassling them.”adjective
- “The time-share deal was a sham.”noun
- “A con-man must be skilled in the arts of sham and deceit.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Bed linen consisting of a decorative cover for a pillow.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: intended to deceive
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.