counterfeit
1 of 3adjective
coun·ter·feit ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌfit 
1
: made in imitation of something else with intent to deceive : forged
counterfeit money
a counterfeit diamond
2
a
: insincere, feigned
counterfeit sympathy
counterfeit joy at her friend's engagement
b
: imitation
counterfeit Georgian houses
counterfeit
2 of 3verb
counterfeited; counterfeiting; counterfeits
transitive verb
: to imitate or feign especially with intent to deceive
also : to make a fraudulent replica of
counterfeiting $20 bills
intransitive verb
1
: to try to deceive by pretense or dissembling
2
: to engage in counterfeiting something of value
counterfeiter noun
counterfeit
3 of 3noun
1
: something counterfeit : forgery
The $20 bill turned out to be a counterfeit.
2
: something likely to be mistaken for something of higher value
Pity was a counterfeit of love …
Harry Hervey
Harry Hervey
Synonyms
Adjective
- bogus
- fake
- false
- forged
- inauthentic
- phony
- phoney
- queer
- sham
- snide
- spurious
- unauthentic
Verb
- fake
- forge
- phony
Noun
- fake
- forgery
- hoax
- humbug
- phony
- phoney
- sham
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective The concert ticket is counterfeit. counterfeit currency that had been passed all over town Verb They were counterfeiting money in his garage. an expert at counterfeiting money Noun the will as well as the other documents turned out to be counterfeits
Recent Examples on the Web Gretchen Ehlke, ajc, 25 Aug. 2022 Floyd was suspected of passing a counterfeit bill at a nearby grocery store. CBS News, 25 Aug. 2022 Serova also claimed that producers Edward Cascio and James Porte, who allegedly recorded the songs in 2007 before Jackson's 2009 death from an accidental overdose, knew the songs were counterfeit, according to online records of the 2020 appeal. Angie Orellana Hernandez, USA TODAY, 6 July 2022 In France, courts have recognized the authority of expert panels to destroy works determined to be counterfeit. New York Times, 6 July 2022 Boy scammed at lemonade stand:11-year-old boy scammed after man uses counterfeit $100 bill at lemonade stand, police say Meanwhile on Reddit, an entire thread was created to criticize the drink. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2022 Friendship Gas Station employees called police at 12:22 p.m. July 17 and told them someone tried to pay purchases with a $100 counterfeit bill. cleveland, 21 July 2022 The officers had been responding to a call from a convenience store about a counterfeit bill. Daniella Silva, NBC News, 7 July 2022 Among other upcoming events, A Promise to Jordan will also be presenting a program at 6 p.m. on Aug. 18 at the Simsbury Public Library, on counterfeit prescriptions. Steve Smith, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2022 Drake Bentley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 May 2022 Consumers report rip-offs ranging from sales of nonexistent vehicles, pets and products to counterfeit goods to costly free trial offers. Jesse Leavenworth, courant.com, 8 Dec. 2021 For decades tickets to concerts and events were printed on special thermal paper that were difficult to counterfeit but easy for ticketing companies with specialized printers to print and distribute en masse. Dave Brooks, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2021 This approach is not foolproof to counterfeit the deepfake voices, because if a deepfake offers a convincing speaker similar information, the AVR may fail. Dominic David, Forbes, 10 May 2021 All over the world, AI scientists and engineers have been working to counterfeit deepfake voice attacks and related threats. Dominic David, Forbes, 10 May 2021 Unfortunately, though, the existing federal plans in the United States call for providing those vaccinated merely with a paper document, a decidedly 20th-century approach that would not meet public health needs and that would be easy to counterfeit. Richard H. Thaler, Star Tribune, 12 Dec. 2020 There’s no proof that a foreign adversary is trying to counterfeit ballots. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 Sep. 2020 Previously, exported medical products only had to have the certifications in receiving countries, such as the European Union’s CE certification, which could be easily counterfeited in China. Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2020 Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 9 July 2022 Like real life, where taking down a seller on one street corner does not stop them from finding a new location, the fight against online counterfeit has to be broader than one store. Carolina Milanesi, Forbes, 8 June 2022 Nike lawyers allege that this shoe is a counterfeit being sold on the StockX website. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 12 May 2022 Beware of the many counterfeit N95s and KN95s on the market. Aaron Steckelberg, Bonnie Berkowitz, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Jan. 2022 Dreams and drunkenness, the use of opium and alcohol are the semblance and counterfeit of this oracular genius, and hence their dangerous attraction for men. Maggie Nelson, Harper's Magazine, 28 Sep. 2021 One search of the premises yielded a cardboard box containing 4,000 counterfeit Quaaludes. Mike Sager, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2021 But don’t order a counterfeit, waste my officer’s time, break the law and misrepresent yourself. Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 16 Aug. 2021 Amaka needed only a perfect counterfeit of a FAKA-style speech, one that people would believe. Wired, 1 Sep. 2021 See More
Adjective
Floyd was suspected of passing a counterfeit bill at a nearby grocery store. Gretchen Ehlke, ajc, 25 Aug. 2022 Floyd was suspected of passing a counterfeit bill at a nearby grocery store. CBS News, 25 Aug. 2022 Serova also claimed that producers Edward Cascio and James Porte, who allegedly recorded the songs in 2007 before Jackson's 2009 death from an accidental overdose, knew the songs were counterfeit, according to online records of the 2020 appeal. Angie Orellana Hernandez, USA TODAY, 6 July 2022 In France, courts have recognized the authority of expert panels to destroy works determined to be counterfeit. New York Times, 6 July 2022 Boy scammed at lemonade stand:11-year-old boy scammed after man uses counterfeit $100 bill at lemonade stand, police say Meanwhile on Reddit, an entire thread was created to criticize the drink. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 13 Aug. 2022 Friendship Gas Station employees called police at 12:22 p.m. July 17 and told them someone tried to pay purchases with a $100 counterfeit bill. cleveland, 21 July 2022 The officers had been responding to a call from a convenience store about a counterfeit bill. Daniella Silva, NBC News, 7 July 2022 Among other upcoming events, A Promise to Jordan will also be presenting a program at 6 p.m. on Aug. 18 at the Simsbury Public Library, on counterfeit prescriptions. Steve Smith, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2022 Verb
The card has two high-definition, high-contrast images, making the card much more difficult to counterfeit, according to the DMV. Drake Bentley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 May 2022 Consumers report rip-offs ranging from sales of nonexistent vehicles, pets and products to counterfeit goods to costly free trial offers. Jesse Leavenworth, courant.com, 8 Dec. 2021 For decades tickets to concerts and events were printed on special thermal paper that were difficult to counterfeit but easy for ticketing companies with specialized printers to print and distribute en masse. Dave Brooks, Billboard, 29 Oct. 2021 This approach is not foolproof to counterfeit the deepfake voices, because if a deepfake offers a convincing speaker similar information, the AVR may fail. Dominic David, Forbes, 10 May 2021 All over the world, AI scientists and engineers have been working to counterfeit deepfake voice attacks and related threats. Dominic David, Forbes, 10 May 2021 Unfortunately, though, the existing federal plans in the United States call for providing those vaccinated merely with a paper document, a decidedly 20th-century approach that would not meet public health needs and that would be easy to counterfeit. Richard H. Thaler, Star Tribune, 12 Dec. 2020 There’s no proof that a foreign adversary is trying to counterfeit ballots. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 Sep. 2020 Previously, exported medical products only had to have the certifications in receiving countries, such as the European Union’s CE certification, which could be easily counterfeited in China. Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2020 Noun
Common tactics include not scanning an item, swapping a cheaper item (bananas) for a more expensive one (steak), scanning counterfeit barcodes attached to their wrists or properly scanning everything and then walking out without paying. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 9 July 2022 Like real life, where taking down a seller on one street corner does not stop them from finding a new location, the fight against online counterfeit has to be broader than one store. Carolina Milanesi, Forbes, 8 June 2022 Nike lawyers allege that this shoe is a counterfeit being sold on the StockX website. Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 12 May 2022 Beware of the many counterfeit N95s and KN95s on the market. Aaron Steckelberg, Bonnie Berkowitz, Anchorage Daily News, 20 Jan. 2022 Dreams and drunkenness, the use of opium and alcohol are the semblance and counterfeit of this oracular genius, and hence their dangerous attraction for men. Maggie Nelson, Harper's Magazine, 28 Sep. 2021 One search of the premises yielded a cardboard box containing 4,000 counterfeit Quaaludes. Mike Sager, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2021 But don’t order a counterfeit, waste my officer’s time, break the law and misrepresent yourself. Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY, 16 Aug. 2021 Amaka needed only a perfect counterfeit of a FAKA-style speech, one that people would believe. Wired, 1 Sep. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective, Verb, and Noun
Middle English countrefet, from Anglo-French cuntrefeit, from past participle of cuntrefere, contrefaire to imitate, from cuntre- + faire to make, from Latin facere — more at do
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
counterfeit 1 of 3
adjective
coun·ter·feit ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌfit
1
: made in exact imitation of something genuine and meant to be taken as genuine
counterfeit money
2
: not sincere
counterfeit sympathy
counterfeit
2 of 3verb
counterfeited; counterfeiting
1
: to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive
Modern money is difficult to counterfeit.
2
: pretend sense 2
She tried to counterfeit enthusiasm.
counterfeit
3 of 3noun
: something made to imitate another thing with the desire to deceive
The 100 dollar bill turned out to be a counterfeit.
Legal Definition
counterfeit 1 of 3
adjective
coun·ter·feit ˈkau̇n-tər-ˌfit
: made in imitation of a genuine article (as a document) without authorization and especially with intent to deceive or defraud
counterfeit
2 of 3transitive verb
: to make an imitation of without authorization and especially with intent to deceive or defraud
whoever falsely makes, alters, forges, or counterfeits any deed U.S. Code
U.S. Codecounterfeit
3 of 3noun
: something counterfeit
all counterfeits of any coins or obligations U.S. Code
compare forgery U.S. Codecounterfeit 1 of 3
adjective
1
as in fake
being such in appearance only and made or manufactured with the intention of committing fraud counterfeit currency that had been passed all over town Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- fake
- forged
- false
- imitation
- manufactured
- phony
- bogus
- ornamental
- inauthentic
- spurious
- synthetic
- artificial
- unauthentic
- phoney
- sham
- deceptive
- substitute
- simulated
- misleading
- snide
- mock
- queer
- fabricated
- mimic
- factitious
- dummy
- cultured
- nonfunctioning
- man-made
- delusive
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- real
- genuine
- authentic
- bona fide
- actual
- natural
- true
- unfaked
- valid
2
as in double
not being or expressing what one appears to be or express when it comes to the poor, his compassion is so counterfeit—he gives a damn, and that's all that he gives Synonyms & Similar Words
- fake
- double
- pretended
- lip
- phony
- artificial
- meaningless
- hollow
- false
- superficial
- strained
- insincere
- hypocritical
- feigned
- mechanical
- phoney
- assumed
- unnatural
- affected
- backhanded
- mealy
- unctuous
- phoney-baloney
- phony-baloney
- mealymouthed
- pious
- jive
- double-faced
- forced
- simulated
- dishonest
- empty
- contrived
- two-faced
- Janus-faced
- bogus
- Pecksniffian
- double-dealing
- sham
- deceitful
- claptrap
- left-handed
- put-on
- untruthful
- devious
- glib
- facile
- facetious
- campy
- pharisaical
- jocular
- sanctimonious
- canting
- simon-pure
- tongue-in-cheek
- self-righteous
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- genuine
- sincere
- honest
- artless
- unfeigned
- heartfelt
- candid
- direct
- undesigning
- plain
- open
- frank
- straightforward
- forthright
- heart-to-heart
counterfeit
2 of 3noun
as in hoax
an imitation that is passed off as genuine the will as well as the other documents turned out to be counterfeits Synonyms & Similar Words
- hoax
- fake
- phony
- forgery
- copy
- reproduction
- sham
- replica
- phoney
- synthetic
- knockoff
- copycat
- spoof
- humbug
- swindle
- simulation
- bastard
- fraud
- facsimile
- imposture
- shoddy
- dummy
- mock-up
- gaff
- brummagem
- duffer
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- original
counterfeit
3 of 3verb
1
as in to fake
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive an expert at counterfeiting money Synonyms & Similar Words
- fake
- forge
- phony
- simulate
- invent
- manipulate
- duplicate
- adulterate
- plagiarize
- replicate
- reproduce
- crib
- juggle
- reduplicate
- concoct
- doctor
- fabricate
- fudge
- tamper (with)
- cook (up)
2
as in to pretend
to present a false appearance of managing to counterfeit a happy expression while visiting a sick friend Synonyms & Similar Words
- pretend
- simulate
- fake
- assume
- sham
- act
- affect
- feign
- make believe
- dissemble
- bluff
- forge
- masquerade
- conceal
- put on
- profess
- pose
- imitate
- pass (for)
- dissimulate
- camouflage
- impersonate
- mask
- disguise
- playact
- play
- let on
- feint
- malinger
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of counterfeit are fake, fraud, humbug, imposture, and sham. While all these words mean "a thing made to seem other than it is," counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.
20-dollar bills that were counterfeits
The synonyms fake and counterfeit are sometimes interchangeable, but fake implies an imitation of or substitution for the genuine but does not necessarily imply dishonesty.
these jewels are fakes; the real ones are in the vault
In some situations, the words fraud and counterfeit are roughly equivalent. However, fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.
the diary was exposed as a fraud
The meanings of humbug and counterfeit largely overlap; however, humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.
creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public
The words imposture and counterfeit are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, imposture applies to any situation in which a spurious object or performance is passed off as genuine.
their claim of environmental concern is an imposture
The words sham and counterfeit can be used in similar contexts, but sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.
condemned the election as a sham