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View definitions for sham

sham

adjective as in artificial, counterfeit

verb as in trick; pull a hoax

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Federal prosecutors allege Navarro set up a sham charity, called the United Latino Foundation, to embezzle money for his personal use.

“As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it.

"As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it," her lawyers said.

Villanueva’s suit claimed that an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation into his conduct was a “sham” that violated his due process rights.

“It was a sham investigation,” said McGough, who spent nine years researching his book.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for sham?

The word sham commonly refers to something that’s not what it claims to be—some kind of fraud or fake. This sense of the word can even refer to a person, as in He’s a total fake, a sham—you should see what he’s really like.

Sham is often used even more specifically to refer to something that’s considered a scam, con, or hoax, as in This whole thing is a sham—they’re just trying to get your money.

Sometimes, sham refers to a situation that’s considered illegitimate for some reason, as in The trial was a sham—there wasn’t even a jury. Synonyms for this sense are farce and mockery.

Sham can also be used as an adjective for any of these senses, as in sham trial (an illegitimate one), sham marriage (one in which the couple aren’t in a real relationship), or sham version (a fake or knockoff version).

How do you use sham in a sentence?

We use sham in a number of different ways, but they all involve some kind of falseness or fakeness. It’s usually always used negatively.

Here are some examples of sham in a sentence:

The “charity” event was a sham—it was just an excuse for a tax write-off.
I knew something about him seemed fake, but I didn’t expect him to turn out to be a complete sham.
The dictator is known for holding sham elections to give the appearance of legitimacy.