faked death

[ feykt deth ]

noun

1. the act of convincing others that one’s own pretended death is real, often to escape such circumstances as debt or abuse and to thereafter live undetected:

   Fraudulent insurance claims involving the “survivors” of faked deaths are not as uncommon as you may think.

Word History and Origins

Origin of faked death¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Police in Bremerton are asking anyone with information about Basham during the years since his faked death in 2009 to contact Det.

From Los Angeles Times

The film, like the original, uses many clichés of the genre: a clandestine invitation, a group of people stuck in a remote location, an eccentric “genius,” priceless treasures, a suspicious character from the past, a secret twin, a faked death.

From New York Times

So Pte O'Callaghan faked death and, exhausted by days of fighting and probably in shock, fell asleep for several hours.

From BBC

Julie Wheeler had already been sentenced to 54 months in prison for the health-care fraud and the faked death scheme.

From Seattle Times

And so we ended up with the topsy-turvy moment when the commander-in-chief decided to defend his promotion of the QAnon fantasy that the elite Seal Team Six that killed Osama bin Laden was somehow killed by Joe Biden to cover up the faked death of one Osama bin Laden.

From The Guardian