sham

noun
UK: /ʃæm/
US: /ʃæm/

  1. Something that is not what it seems to be and is intended to deceive people.

    1. The election was a complete sham.
    2. Their marriage was a sham, they only stayed together for the inheritance.

Synonyms

pretense fraud fake hoax imitation
sham verb

  1. To pretend to have or be something; to fake it.

    1. He's just shamming illness.
    2. She was shamming enthusiasm for her friend's boring story.
sham adjective

  1. Not genuine; false; pretended.

    1. It was a sham trial.
    2. The company was running a sham charity to avoid paying taxes.

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "sham" is /ʃæm/ in British English and /ʃæm/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "sham": pretense, fraud, fake, hoax, imitation.

Example usage of "sham": "The election was a complete sham.". More examples on the page.