sham: Meaning and Definition of

sham

Pronunciation: (sham), [key]
— n., adj., v., shammed, sham•ming.
—n.
  1. something that is not what it purports to be; a spurious imitation; fraud or hoax.
  2. a person who shams; shammer.
  3. a cover or the like for giving a thing a different outward appearance: a pillow sham.
—adj.
  1. pretended; counterfeit; feigned: sham attacks; a sham Gothic façade.
  2. designed, made, or used as a sham.
—v.t.
  1. to produce an imitation of.
  2. to assume the appearance of; pretend to have: to sham illness.
—v.i.
  1. to make a false show of something; pretend.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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