fake
/feɪ̯k/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.65 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Not real; false, fraudulent.
adj
noun
Something which is not genuine, or is presented fraudulently.
noun
A move meant to deceive an opposing player, used for gaining advantage for example when dribbling an opponent.
noun
An impostor.
Example Sentences
- "Which fur coat looks fake?"
- "Seeing Rossano Brazzi play an aristocratic White Russian, standing in the fakest snow that wartime supplies could buy, may be the most peculiar twist of all in the curious story of how Ayn Rand's autobiographical first novel came to the screen."
- "The truth panic had the unwelcome side-effect of emboldening those it sought to oppose. “Fake” was one of Trump’s favourite slap-downs, especially to news outlets that reported unwelcome facts about him and his associates. A booming Maga media further amplified the president’s lies and denials."
- "I suspect this passport is a fake."
- "Among other interesting and weighty opinions, which were in general agreement with our contentions, was one by Mr. H. A. Staddon of Goodmayes, a gentleman who had made a particular hobby of fakes in photography. His report is too long and too technical for inclusion, but, under the various headings of composition, dress, development, density, lighting, poise, texture, plate, atmosphere, focus, halation, he goes very completely into the evidence, coming to the final conclusion that when tried by all these tests the chances are not less than 80 per cent. in favour of authenticity."
- "to fake a marriage"
Etymology
The origin is not known with certainty, although first attested in 1775 C.E. in British criminals' slang. It is probably from feak, feague (“to give a better appearance through artificial means, spruce up, embellish”), itself from German Low German fegen, from Middle Low German vēgen, from Old Saxon fegōn, from Proto-West Germanic *fegōn (“to clean up, polish”). Akin to Dutch veeg (“a swipe”), Dutch vegen (“to sweep, wipe”); German fegen (“to sweep, to polish”). Compare also Old English fācn (“deceit, fraud”). Perhaps related also to Old Norse fjúka (“to fade, vanquish, disappear”), Old Norse feikn (“strange, scary, unnatural”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: fegen, vēgen, fegōn, *fegōn
Usage
Inflected Forms
faker (comparative)
more fake (comparative)
fakest (superlative)
most fake (superlative)
fakes (plural)
fakes (present, singular)
faking (participle, present)
faked (participle, past)
faked (past)