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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fake
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive
an expert at counterfeiting money
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of counterfeit
Nicole Acosta, People.com, 15 May 2025
Parents, experts and lawmakers have urged tech giants to do more to prevent the sale of counterfeit or illicit drugs to young people through their platforms, after multiple teens have died of overdoses from pills bought online.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
James Powel, USA Today, 8 May 2025
The products in the TikTok videos could also be high-quality dupes and counterfeits, which Lululemon has previously tried to combat.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025
Kaja Andric, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Earlier this year, French, Italian, and Swiss police forces teamed up to bust a ring of wine fraudsters who were selling counterfeited Grand Cru wines (the premier designation of quality in French wine) for up to €15,000 a bottle.
—Chris Hall, WIRED, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for counterfeit
Adjective
Floyd was detained by Minneapolis police for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill at a convenience store.
—Nicole Acosta, People.com, 15 May 2025
Parents, experts and lawmakers have urged tech giants to do more to prevent the sale of counterfeit or illicit drugs to young people through their platforms, after multiple teens have died of overdoses from pills bought online.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
Noun
The 516 counterfeit watches emulated brands including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Cartier and others.
—James Powel, USA Today, 8 May 2025
The products in the TikTok videos could also be high-quality dupes and counterfeits, which Lululemon has previously tried to combat.
—Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025
Verb
The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles regularly updates the design and security measures of its driver’s licenses to stay ahead of counterfeiting techniques.
—Kaja Andric, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025
Earlier this year, French, Italian, and Swiss police forces teamed up to bust a ring of wine fraudsters who were selling counterfeited Grand Cru wines (the premier designation of quality in French wine) for up to €15,000 a bottle.
—Chris Hall, WIRED, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for counterfeit
Recent Examples of Synonyms for counterfeit
Adjective
-
There’s a backdrop of fake news and collective anxiety.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
5 June 2025
-
Federal agents concluded that many of the documents, which were turned over by an attorney representing the restaurant, were fake or falsified, according to the warrant.—
Roxana Popescu,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 June 2025
Adjective
-
As Spain’s only double Oscar-qualifying animation festival, Animayo’s top honors serve as a launchpad to the Academy Awards.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
29 May 2025
-
She was born in Massachusetts to Nigerian immigrants and, as a teen, was an exceptional figure skater: one who could land double axels with a practiced ease that betrayed the intense commitment behind them.—
Daron James,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
Authorities determined the carjacking was nothing more than a hoax with a goal of quick cash by way of insurance fraud, sheriff officials said.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
31 May 2025
-
And how a real video from Gaza led to claims of an AI hoax.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
In that role, Pullin forged new corporate partnerships.—
Kate Marijolovic,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
30 May 2025
-
The distinct domains of venture capital (VC), private equity (PE) and pure-play entrepreneurship are converging, forging a powerful new model for value creation in the post-artificial intelligence (AI) economy.—
Mitt Mehta,
Forbes.com,
29 May 2025
Verb
-
Scam warnings have been issued in multiple states over criminals pretending to be from the Department of Motor Vehicles.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
-
Johnson then dramatically threw the sweater across the front of her dress before relaxing deep into her seat and — now protected from any unwanted surprises — pretending to wipe the sweat from her brow.—
Emlyn Travis Published,
EW.com,
3 June 2025
Adjective
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China also makes more large cast and forged products—including landing gear, engine components, brakes, turbine disks, and fan blades—than the next nine countries combined.—
MICHAEL BROWN,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Apr. 2025
-
It is crafted from forged zinc and finished in matte black.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Harry Potter series has sold more than 600 million copies worldwide, according to its U.S. publisher Scholastic, and has been on the New York Times Best Seller List for 843 weeks and counting.—
Matt Craig,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
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While training a frontier AI model is expensive, running additional copies of it is cheap, and the associated costs are rapidly getting cheaper.—
Luke Drago,
Time,
30 May 2025
Verb
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What constitutes the crime is to phony up business accounting records to disguise the payments.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
22 Apr. 2024
-
In fact, legislators and regulators are rolling back regulations designed to protect investors, who in this case are estimated to have lost $100 billion to phony Chinese firms.—
Gary Thompson,
Philly.com,
29 Mar. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Counterfeit.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/counterfeit. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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