sham

noun

/ʃæm/

(disapproving)

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[singular] a situation, feeling, system, etc. that is not as good or true as it seems to be
- She felt trapped in a sham of a marriage.
[countable, usually singular] a person who pretends to be something that they are not
- The article exposes him for the sham that he really is.
[uncountable] behaviour, feelings, words, etc. that are intended to make somebody/something seem to be better than they really are
- Their promises turned out to be full of sham and hypocrisy.
- His intellectual pretensions are all sham.

Word Originlate 17th cent.: perhaps a northern English dialect variant of the noun shame.

adjective

/ʃæm/

[only before noun] (usually disapproving)

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not what somebody claims it is but intended to seem real synonym false
- a sham marriage
Word Originlate 17th cent.: perhaps a northern English dialect variant of the noun shame.

verb

/ʃæm/

[intransitive, transitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they sham	/ʃæm/ /ʃæm/
he / she / it shams	/ʃæmz/ /ʃæmz/
past simple shammed	/ʃæmd/ /ʃæmd/
past participle shammed	/ʃæmd/ /ʃæmd/
-ing form shamming	/ˈʃæmɪŋ/ /ˈʃæmɪŋ/

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to pretend something
- sham (something) Is he really sick or is he just shamming?
- sham + adj. Hamlet is really sane but shamming mad.
Word Originlate 17th cent.: perhaps a northern English dialect variant of the noun shame.

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