sham Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
postiche; fake.
noun a person who makes deceitful pretenses
fraud; shammer; imposter; impostor; pseudo; faker; pseud; role player; fake; pretender.
verb make a pretence of
assume; feign; simulate.
- She assumed indifference, even though she was seething with anger
- he feigned sleep
verb make believe with the intent to deceive
affect; feign; pretend; dissemble.
- He feigned that he was ill
- He shammed a headache
adjective satellite adopted in order to deceive
false; put on; assumed; pretended; fictitious; fictive.
- an assumed name
- an assumed cheerfulness
- a fictitious address
- fictive sympathy
- a pretended interest
- a put-on childish voice
- sham modesty

Originally the same word as shame, hence, a disgrace, a trick. See Shame, n.

That which deceives expectation; any trick, fraud, or device that deludes and disappoint; a make-believe; delusion; imposture, humbug. "A mere sham." Bp. Stillingfleet.
Believe who will the solemn sham, not I. Addison.
A false front, or removable ornamental covering.

False; counterfeit; pretended; feigned; unreal; as, a sham fight.
They scorned the sham independence proffered to them by the Athenians. Jowett (Thucyd)

imperfect & past participle Shammed ; present participle & verbal noun Shamming

To trick; to cheat; to deceive or delude with false pretenses.
Fooled and shammed into a conviction. L'Estrange.
To obtrude by fraud or imposition. R.
We must have a care that we do not . . . sham fallacies upon the world for current reason. L'Estrange.
To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.

To make false pretenses; to deceive; to feign; to impose.
Wondering . . . whether those who lectured him were such fools as they professed to be, or were only shamming. Macaulay.