1
as in counterfeits
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
experts declared that one of the museum's prized paintings was actually a fake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in frauds
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
a hidden-camera investigation revealed that the so-called psychic was a fake
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in forges
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive
pranksters faked giant footprints and then claimed that they had seen Bigfoot
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in pretends
to present a false appearance of
while running for class president, Dan was not above faking friendship with people just to get their votes
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in devises
to perform, make, or do without preparation
if you give me the gist of the plan, I can probably fake enough for the speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in evades
to elude (an opponent in a sports contest) by making a deceptive or agile movement
the running back faked the defense by stepping to his left and then quickly cutting to the right
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of fakes
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
The publicly available letter, which was dated June 18, comes as Europe prepares to start implementing more regulations under the AI Act this August, including the transparency obligations requiring companies to disclose deep fakes in audio and visual content.
—
Roy Stephen Canivel,
Footwear News,
23 June 2026
The fakes are similar to the genuine article in appearance, but some show poor craftsmanship.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
17 June 2026
Maclean’s work traffics in deep fakes and glitch aesthetics, rainbow cuteness and the tropes of pulp—but these are set against violent dystopias and a world of cruelties borne, especially, by women (see her 2018 video Make Me Up as an example).
—
Eugenie Brinkema,
ARTnews.com,
14 June 2026
Thirty-four years having passed since the last go-round, we are treated to such modern advances as catfishing, drones, deep fakes, social media and pushy true-crime podcasters.
—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
McKenna is extremely shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking.
—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
The main goal isn't to catch fakes but to move inventory.
—
Padmakumar Nair,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Unfortunately, we were deprived of all those fake idols getting played because players kept leaving the game with fakes in their pockets, socks, and bags.
—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Jordana Rosenfeld,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 June 2026
Jenna Ushkowitz was a Spring Awakening costar of Lea Michele's when Ryan Murphy cast her to play the one-time goth Tina, who fakes a stutter to stand out at school.
—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
Returning the favor Kitty did for her earlier in Season 3 by visiting her in New York during a turbulent time with her longtime boyfriend Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), Kitty’s older sister Lara Jean (Lana Condor) fakes norovirus to fly to Seoul and take care of Kitty post-Chuseok chaos.
—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
This isn’t a war where AI fakes fool everyone nor where detection tools catch everything.
—
Mahsa Alimardani,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
As with any market, more money means more scammers, and fakes abound — this past fall Sotheby’s cancelled two memorabilia auctions over authenticity concerns.
—
Julie Brener Davich,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
Each time Ivy's owner, Ryan, draws nearer, the dog fakes him out and bounds away, tail wagging.
—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Ake fakes a core breach to get Braka off the ship, with the Klingarite reluctantly leaving.
—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
16 Jan. 2026
Brunson fakes the swing to the right corner, blows past VJ Edgecombe, gets both feet into the paint, draws two defenders and finds OG Anunoby in the left corner.
—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
The Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services has warned that people can easily obtain fakes; in 2010, Puerto Rico invalidated all its existing birth certificates, citing rampant fraud and identity theft.
—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
29 June 2026
The publicly available letter, which was dated June 18, comes as Europe prepares to start implementing more regulations under the AI Act this August, including the transparency obligations requiring companies to disclose deep fakes in audio and visual content.
—
Roy Stephen Canivel,
Footwear News,
23 June 2026
The fakes are similar to the genuine article in appearance, but some show poor craftsmanship.
—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
17 June 2026
Maclean’s work traffics in deep fakes and glitch aesthetics, rainbow cuteness and the tropes of pulp—but these are set against violent dystopias and a world of cruelties borne, especially, by women (see her 2018 video Make Me Up as an example).
—
Eugenie Brinkema,
ARTnews.com,
14 June 2026
Thirty-four years having passed since the last go-round, we are treated to such modern advances as catfishing, drones, deep fakes, social media and pushy true-crime podcasters.
—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
McKenna is extremely shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking.
—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
The main goal isn't to catch fakes but to move inventory.
—
Padmakumar Nair,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Unfortunately, we were deprived of all those fake idols getting played because players kept leaving the game with fakes in their pockets, socks, and bags.
—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 May 2026
Verb
Many fans found the finale of the original Dexter series, wherein Dexter fakes his own death and disappears in Oregon, unsatisfying.
—
Jordana Rosenfeld,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
22 June 2026
Jenna Ushkowitz was a Spring Awakening costar of Lea Michele's when Ryan Murphy cast her to play the one-time goth Tina, who fakes a stutter to stand out at school.
—
James Mercadante,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
Returning the favor Kitty did for her earlier in Season 3 by visiting her in New York during a turbulent time with her longtime boyfriend Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo), Kitty’s older sister Lara Jean (Lana Condor) fakes norovirus to fly to Seoul and take care of Kitty post-Chuseok chaos.
—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
This isn’t a war where AI fakes fool everyone nor where detection tools catch everything.
—
Mahsa Alimardani,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
As with any market, more money means more scammers, and fakes abound — this past fall Sotheby’s cancelled two memorabilia auctions over authenticity concerns.
—
Julie Brener Davich,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
Each time Ivy's owner, Ryan, draws nearer, the dog fakes him out and bounds away, tail wagging.
—
Tabitha Parent,
PEOPLE,
27 Jan. 2026
Ake fakes a core breach to get Braka off the ship, with the Klingarite reluctantly leaving.
—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
16 Jan. 2026
Brunson fakes the swing to the right corner, blows past VJ Edgecombe, gets both feet into the paint, draws two defenders and finds OG Anunoby in the left corner.
—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fakes
Noun
-
Luxus focuses on pristine-condition assets with clear provenance, reducing risks associated with counterfeits and quality degradation.
-
Unprosecuted crimes against the public — such as the widespread sale of 78-cent postage stamps for 19 cents to 59 cents, rolls of 100, counterfeits all, for years online.
Noun
-
Their only inheritance is a legacy of two-bit crime that inspires them to run increasingly audacious frauds.
-
Lan, 69, built a sprawling real estate empire of luxury homes and commercial properties before she was accused of one of the biggest frauds in global history.
Verb
-
Motherhood, sexuality, family, fame… every band member forges her own path in refreshingly disparate ways rarely shown on television.
-
There is a tender toxicity to the bond Louis forges with Regina that speaks to the overwhelming heartbreak from which its born.
Verb
-
The show only pretends to be organized around romantic couples.
-
The sequence in which Carmy tries to talk Richie down from a panic attack feels equally dynamic and alive right to its conclusion — when Carmy pretends they’ve gotten locked in, just as Carmy once was, to mess with Richie’s head.
Verb
-
Six men are eaten by the Cyclops before Odysseus devises a plan to escape from the cave they are trapped in.
-
Now saddled with the moral dilemma of keeping the money or turning it in, the trio devises a simple plan.
Verb
-
If the armed forces are the instrument through which the president evades the Constitution, then the leaders of those armed forces must answer for their role.
-
Panthalassa evades these regional regulatory and environmental obstacles by deploying autonomous computing nodes directly into deep water.
Noun
-
By probing his triple role as author, anthropologist and cult leader, the book asks why Americans hunger for seductive spiritual hoaxes.
-
The dishonest duo got rich from their deception, but in the age of AI slop, there is a certain charm to analogue hoaxes such as these.
Noun
-
Now, hardship seems to be an end in itself, a battle scar or badge of honor that distinguishes true backpackers from mere pretenders.
-
This is where hype turns into hard numbers, and contenders start getting separated from pretenders.
Cite this Entry
“Fakes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fakes. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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