Definitions for: Sham


[n] something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
[n] a person who makes deceitful pretenses
[adj] adopted in order to deceive; "an assumed name"; "an assumed cheerfulness"; "a fictitious address"; "fictive sympathy"; "a pretended interest"; "a put-on childish voice"; "sham modesty"
[v] make believe; "He feigned that he was ill"; "He shammed a headache"
[v] make a pretence of; "She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger"; "he feigned sleep"



Webster (1913) Definition: Sham, n. [Originally the same word as shame, hence, a
disgrace, a trick. See Shame, n.]
1. That which deceives expectation; any trick, fraud, or
device that deludes and disappoint; a make-believe;
delusion; imposture, humbug. ``A mere sham.'' --Bp.
Stillingfleet.

Believe who will the solemn sham, not I. --Addison.

2. A false front, or removable ornamental covering.

Pillow sham, a covering to be laid on a pillow.


Sham, a.
False; counterfeit; pretended; feigned; unreal; as, a sham
fight.

They scorned the sham independence proffered to them by
the Athenians. --Jowett
(Thucyd)


Sham, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shammed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Shamming.]
1. To trick; to cheat; to deceive or delude with false
pretenses.

Fooled and shammed into a conviction. --L'Estrange.

2. To obtrude by fraud or imposition. [R.]

We must have a care that we do not . . . sham
fallacies upon the world for current reason.
--L'Estrange.

3. To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape;
to feign.

To sham Abram or Abraham, to feign sickness; to malinger.
Hence a malingerer is called, in sailors' cant, Sham
Abram, or Sham Abraham.


Sham, v. i.
To make false pretenses; to deceive; to feign; to impose.

Wondering . . . whether those who lectured him were
such fools as they professed to be, or were only
shamming. --Macaulay.

Synonyms: affect, assume, assumed, counterfeit, dissemble, fake, fake, faker, false, feign, feign, fictitious, fictive, fraud, imitative, imposter, impostor, postiche, pretend, pretended, pretender, pseud, pseudo, put on, role player, shammer, simulate

See Also: act, beguiler, belie, bull, bullshit, cheat, cheater, counterfeit, deceiver, dissemble, fake, fake book, feint, forgery, imitation, misrepresent, mouth, namedropper, play, play possum, pretend, ringer, slicker, take a dive, trickster

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