fake

1
[ feyk ]
See synonyms for: fakefakedfakerfakest on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),faked, fak·ing.
  1. prepare or make (something specious, deceptive, or fraudulent): to fake a report showing nonexistent profits.

  2. to conceal the defects of or make appear more attractive, interesting, valuable, etc., usually in order to deceive: The story was faked a bit to make it more sensational.

  1. to pretend; simulate: to fake illness.

  2. to accomplish by trial and error or by improvising: I don't know the job, but I can fake it.

  3. to trick or deceive (an opponent) by making a fake (often followed by out): The running back faked out the defender with a deft move and scored.

  4. Jazz.

    • to improvise: to fake an accompaniment.

    • to play (music) without reading from a score.

verb (used without object),faked, fak·ing.
  1. to fake something; pretend.

  2. to give a fake to an opponent.

noun
  1. anything made to appear otherwise than it actually is; counterfeit: This diamond necklace is a fake.

  2. a person who fakes; faker: The doctor with the reputed cure for cancer proved to be a fake.

  1. a spurious report or story.

  2. Sports. a simulated play or move intended to deceive an opponent.

adjective
  1. designed to deceive or cheat; not real; counterfeit.

Verb Phrases
  1. fake out, Slang.

    • to trick; deceive: She faked me out by acting friendly and then stole my job.

    • to surprise, as by a sudden reversal: They thought we weren't coming back, but we faked them out by showing up during dinner.

Origin of fake

1
First recorded in 1805–15; originally vagrants' slang: “to do for, rob, kill (someone), shape (something)”; perhaps variant of obsolete feak, feague “to beat,” akin to Dutch veeg “a slap,” vegen “to sweep, wipe”

Other words for fake

Words Nearby fake

Other definitions for fake (2 of 2)

fake2
[ feyk ]

verb (used with object),faked, fak·ing.
  1. to lay (a rope) in a coil or series of long loops so as to allow to run freely without fouling or kinking (often followed by down).

noun
  1. any complete turn of a rope that has been faked down.

  2. any of the various ways in which a rope may be faked down.

Origin of fake

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English faken “to coil (a rope),” of obscure origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fake in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fake (1 of 2)

fake1

/ (feɪk) /


verb
  1. (tr) to cause (something inferior or not genuine) to appear more valuable, desirable, or real by fraud or pretence

  2. to pretend to have (an illness, emotion, etc): to fake a headache

  1. to improvise (music, stage dialogue, etc)

noun
  1. an object, person, or act that is not genuine; sham, counterfeit, or forgery

adjective
  1. not genuine; spurious

Origin of fake

1
originally (C18) thieves' slang to mug or do someone; probably via Polari from Italian facciare to make or do

Derived forms of fake

  • faker, noun
  • fakery, noun

British Dictionary definitions for fake (2 of 2)

fake2

/ (feɪk) nautical /


verb
  1. (tr usually foll by down) to coil (a rope) on deck

noun
  1. one round of a coil of rope

Origin of fake

2
Middle English faken, perhaps via Lingua Franca from Italian facciare to make or do; see fake 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012