imposture, fraud, sham, fake, humbug, counterfeit mean a thing made to seem other than it is. imposture applies to any situation in which a spurious object or performance is passed off as genuine.

SHAM definition: something that is not what it purports to be; a spurious imitation; fraud or hoax. See examples of sham used in a sentence.

Definition of sham noun in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Something that is a sham is not real or is not really what it seems to be. The government's promises were exposed as a hollow sham. Many of the world's leaders have already denounced this election …

They made a fortune through some sham property deal. That jewelry looks sham to me. She's trapped in a sham (= not good or satisfying) marriage.

1. a spurious imitation; fraud or hoax. 2. a person who pretends or counterfeits. 3. a cover or the like: a pillow sham.

sham (sham), n., adj., v., shammed, sham•ming. n. something that is not what it purports to be; a spurious imitation; fraud or hoax. a person who shams; shammer. a cover or the like for giving a …