: not genuine : counterfeit, sham
a bogus claim
The evidence was completely bogus.
bogusly
adverb
bogusness
noun
Did you know?
Bogus Has a Long History
In the early 19th century, a "bogus" was a machine used to make counterfeit coins. No one knows for sure how this coin-copying contraption got its name, but before long bogus became a name for funny money or for a fraudulent imitation of any kind. The more common "phony" adjective followed.
Synonyms
Examples of bogus in a Sentence
It was just a bogus claim.
The evidence was completely bogus.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alas, the skit ends with another alert saying the call to evacuate was a false alarm — a callback to the bogus notice that went out last week to all of L.A. County and panicked residents who were nowhere near the fire.
—
Lynette Rice, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2025
Three people are accused of stealing $44 million from more than 800 aspiring authors by offering bogus book, television and movie deals, federal officials said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 16 Jan. 2025
But fake paramours, fly-by-night contractors, bogus handymen and shady housing professionals are guilty, too.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
Channeling the most famous monetarist of all (Milton Friedman), who admitted late in life that monetarism was bogus, money that actually circulates is always and everywhere an effect of production, not an instigator.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bogus 
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Lynette Rice, Deadline, 19 Jan. 2025
Three people are accused of stealing $44 million from more than 800 aspiring authors by offering bogus book, television and movie deals, federal officials said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 16 Jan. 2025
But fake paramours, fly-by-night contractors, bogus handymen and shady housing professionals are guilty, too.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2025
Channeling the most famous monetarist of all (Milton Friedman), who admitted late in life that monetarism was bogus, money that actually circulates is always and everywhere an effect of production, not an instigator.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 12 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bogus
Dictionary Entries Near bogus
Cite this Entry
“Bogus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bogus. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bogus
adjective
bo·gus
ˈbō-gəs 
: not genuine : counterfeit, sham
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