SHAM (shammed, shamming)
Dictionary entry overview: What does sham mean?
• SHAM (noun)
The noun SHAM has 2 senses:
1. something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
2. a person who makes deceitful pretenses
Familiarity information: SHAM used as a noun is rare.
• SHAM (adjective)
The adjective SHAM has 1 sense:
1. adopted in order to deceive
Familiarity information: SHAM used as an adjective is very rare.
• SHAM (verb)
The verb SHAM has 2 senses:
1. make a pretence of
2. make believe with the intent to deceive
Familiarity information: SHAM used as a verb is rare.
Dictionary entry details
• SHAM (noun)
Meaning:
Something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Synonyms:
fake; sham; postiche
Hypernyms ("sham" is a kind of...):
counterfeit; forgery; imitation (a copy that is represented as the original)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sham"):
fake book (a fake in the form of an imitation book; used to fill bookcases of people who wish to appear scholarly)
Meaning:
A person who makes deceitful pretenses
Classified under:
Nouns denoting people
Synonyms:
pseud; role player; impostor; imposter; pseudo; faker; shammer; sham; pretender; fraud; fake
Hypernyms ("sham" is a kind of...):
beguiler; cheat; cheater; deceiver; slicker; trickster (someone who leads you to believe something that is not true)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "sham"):
name dropper (someone who pretends that famous people are his/her friends)
ringer (a contestant entered in a competition under false pretenses)
• SHAM (adjective)
Meaning:
Adopted in order to deceive
Synonyms:
put on; pretended; fictive; sham; fictitious; assumed; false
Context examples:
an assumed name / an assumed cheerfulness / a fictitious address / fictive sympathy / a pretended interest / a put-on childish voice / sham modesty
Similar:
counterfeit; imitative (not genuine; imitating something superior)
• SHAM (verb)
Meaning:
Make a pretence of
Classified under:
Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing
Synonyms:
sham; feign; simulate; assume
Context examples:
She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger / he feigned sleep
Hypernyms (to "sham" is one way to...):
act; dissemble; pretend (behave unnaturally or affectedly)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sham"):
play (pretend to be somebody in the framework of a game or playful activity)
feint (deceive by a mock action)
Sentence frame:
Somebody ----s something
Meaning:
Make believe with the intent to deceive
Classified under:
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing
Synonyms:
pretend; feign; dissemble; sham; affect
Context examples:
He feigned that he was ill / He shammed a headache
Hypernyms (to "sham" is one way to...):
belie; misrepresent (represent falsely)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "sham"):
play possum (to pretend to be dead)
take a dive (pretend to be knocked out, as of a boxer)
bull; bullshit; fake (talk through one's hat)
mouth (articulate silently; form words with the lips only)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE
Somebody ----s to INFINITIVE
