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sham - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'sham' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Sham [ a.]
- False; counterfeit; pretended; feigned; unreal; as, a sham fight.
2 . Sham [ n.]
- That which deceives expectation; any trick, fraud, or device that deludes and disappoint; a make-believe; delusion; imposture, humbug.
- A false front, or removable ornamental covering.
3 . Sham [ v. i.]
- To make false pretenses; to deceive; to feign; to impose.
4 . Sham [ v. t.]
- To trick; to cheat; to deceive or delude with false pretenses.
- To obtrude by fraud or imposition.
- To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.

Meaning of 'sham' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . sham [ v]
Meaning (1):
- make a pretence of
Example in sentence:
  • he feigned sleep;
  • She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger
Meaning (2):
- make believe with the intent to deceive
Example in sentence:
  • He feigned that he was ill;
  • He shammed a headache
3 . sham [ s]
Meaning (3):
- adopted in order to deceive
Example in sentence:
  • a fictitious address;
  • a pretended interest;
  • a put-on childish voice;
  • an assumed cheerfulness;
  • an assumed name;
  • fictive sympathy;
  • sham modesty

Nearby Words:

shab shabbed shabbily shabbiness shabbing shabble shabby shabrack shack shackatory

See 'sham' also in:

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