fake - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

The origin is not known with certainty, although first attested in 1775 C.E. in British criminals' slang.[1] 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”).

Adjective

fake (comparative faker or more fake, superlative fakest or most fake)

  1. Not real; false, fraudulent.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:fake
    Antonyms: authentic, genuine
    Which fur coat looks fake?
    • 1988 November 25, Caryn James, “Ayn Rand Adaptation By Italian”, in The New York Times‎[1]:
      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.
    • 2025 October 2, William Davies, “A critique of pure stupidity: understanding Trump 2.0”, in The Guardian‎[2]:
      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.
  2. (Of people) Insincere
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations

not real

insincere

Noun

fake (plural fakes)

  1. Something which is not genuine, or is presented fraudulently.
    I suspect this passport is a fake.
    • 1922, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Coming of the Fairies:
      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.
  2. (sports) A move meant to deceive an opposing player, used for gaining advantage for example when dribbling an opponent.
  3. (archaic) A trick; a swindle
Synonyms
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations

something which is not genuine, or is presented fraudulently — see also imitation

a deceptive move

Verb

fake (third-person singular simple present fakes, present participle faking, simple past and past participle faked)

  1. (transitive) To make a counterfeit, to counterfeit, to forge, to falsify.
  2. (transitive) To make a false display of, to affect, to feign, to simulate.
    to fake a marriage
    to fake happiness
    to fake a smile
    • 2013, Jocelyn Samara D., Rain, volume 1, →ISBN, page 193:
      "She constantly faked being sick, and perhaps mistakenly, I indulged her more than I should have, pretending I couldn't tell. But I AM a teacher myself, so it's kind of hard to just let this slide."
  3. (archaic) To cheat; to swindle; to steal; to rob.
  4. (archaic) To modify fraudulently, so as to make an object appear better or other than it really is
    • 1944, George Henderson, The Farming Ladder:
      He had a hundred similar tricks, but I never knew him fake a horse, or sell one as sound if it was not.
  5. (music, ambitransitive) To improvise, in jazz.
    • 1994, ITA Journal, volume 22, page 20:
      Occasionally the opportunity arises to stand up and "fake" a jazz standard.
    • Denning, cited in 2020, Matt Brennan, Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit (page 110)
      In the face of this print music culture, 'faking' was the ability—at once respected and disrespected—to improvise a song (or a part in an arrangement) without reading the notation.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations

modify fraudulently to make sth. look better

counterfeit, falsify

make a false display of

Etymology 2

Inherited from Middle English faken (“to coil a rope”).

Noun

fake (plural fakes)

  1. (nautical) One of the circles or windings of a cable or hawser, as it lies in a coil; a single turn or coil.
Translations

winding

Verb

fake (third-person singular simple present fakes, present participle faking, simple past and past participle faked)

  1. (nautical) To coil (a rope, line, or hawser), by winding alternately in opposite directions, in layers usually of zigzag or figure of eight form, to prevent twisting when running out.
Translations

wind

Further reading

References

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “fake”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

Afar

Pronunciation

Verb

faké (frequentative fakamfaké, autobenefactive fakkaasité)

  1. (transitive) open
  2. (transitive) begin
  3. (transitive) expose
  4. (transitive) spread out

Conjugation

Conjugation of fake (type II verb)
1st singular 2nd singular 3rd singular 1st plural 2nd plural 3rd plural
m f
perfective V-affirmative fakéh faktéh fakéh faktéh faknéh fakteeníh fakeeníh
N-affirmative faké fakté faké fakté fakné faktén fakén
negative máfakinniyo máfakinnito máfakinna máfakinna máfakinnino máfakinniton máfakinnon
imperfective V-affirmative fakáh faktáh fakáh faktáh faknáh faktaanáh fakaanáh
N-affirmative faká faktá faká faktá fakná faktán fakán
negative máfaka máfakta máfaka máfakta máfakna máfaktan máfakan
prospective V-affirmative fakéliyohfakéyyoh fakélitohfakéttoh fakéleh fakéleh fakélinohfakénnoh fakélitoonuhfakéttoonuh fakéloonuh
N-affirmative fakéliyofakéyyo fakélitofakétto fakéle fakéle fakélinofakénno fakélitonfakétton fakélon
conjunctive I V-affirmative fákuh fáktuh fákuh fáktuh fákuh faktóonuh fakóonuh
N-affirmative fáku fáktu fáku fáktu fáku faktón fakón
negative faké wáyuh faké wáytuh faké wáyuh faké wáytuh faké wáynuh faké waytóonuh faké wóonuh
conjunctive II V-affirmative fakánkeh faktánkeh fakánkeh faktánkeh faknánkeh faktaanánkeh fakaanánkeh
N-affirmative fakánke faktánke fakánke faktánke faknánke faktaanánke fakaanánke
negative faké wáankeh faké waytánkeh faké wáankeh faké waytánkeh faké waynánkeh faké waytaanánkeh faké wáankeh
jussive affirmative fákay fáktay fákay fáktay fáknay faktóonay fakóonay
negative faké wáay faké wáytay faké wáay faké wáytay faké wáynay faké waytóonay faké wóonay
pastconditional affirmative fakinniyóy fakinnitóy fakinnáy fakinnáy fakinninóy fakinnitoonúy fakinnoonúy
negative faké wanniyóy faké wannitóy faké wannáy faké wannáy faké wanninóy faké wannitoonúy faké wanninoonúy
presentconditional I affirmative fakék fakték fakék fakték faknék fakteeník fakeeník
negative faké wéek faké wayték faké wéek faké wayték faké waynék faké wayteeník faké weeník
singular plural singular plural
consultative affirmative fakóo faknóo imperative affirmative fák fáka
negative mafakóo mafaknóo negative máfakin máfakina
-h converb -i form -k converb -in(n)uh converb -innuk converb infinitive indefinite participle
V-focus N-focus
fákah fáki fákak fakínnuh fakínnuk fakíyya fakináanih fakináan
Compound tenses dependent verb sequential perfective + -m simultaneous imperfective + -m past perfect affirmative perfective + perfective of én or sugé present perfect affirmative perfective + imperfective of én future perfect affirmative perfective + prospective of sugé past progressive -k converb + imperfective of én or sugé present progressive affirmative imperfect + imperfective of én future progressive -k converb + prospective of sugé immediate future affirmative conjunctive I + imperfective of wée imperfect potential I affirmative conjunctive I + imperfective of takké imperfect potential II affirmative imperfective + -m + takké negative **faké + imperfective of wée + -m + takké perfect potential affirmative perfective + -m + takké negative **faké + perfective of wée + -m + takké presentconditional II affirmative imperfective + object pronoun + tekkék negative **faké + perfective of wée + object pronoun + tekkék perfect conditional affirmative perfective + imperfective of sugé + -k negative perfective + sugé + imperfective of wée -k irrealis **faké + perfective of xaaxé or raaré

References

Chinese

Etymology

From English fake.

Pronunciation

Verb

fake

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, transitive) to fool; to deceive (such as by presenting fake or ingenuine information)

French

Verb

fake

  1. inflection of faker:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

German

Etymology

Borrowed from English fake.

Pronunciation

Adjective

fake (strong nominative masculine singular faker, not comparable)

  1. (informal, especially predicative) fake, sham, counterfeit

Usage notes

In most cases corresponding to hypothetical English occurrences which would be deemed adjectives, the German is part of a compound with the noun Fake, and the existence of such an adjective is not widely accepted. However at least colloquially, in the fashion scene, in reference to counterfeits, it is a fully declined adjective; cf. woke, and anywhere else where there is a heavy influx of English there may be at least predicative-only use.

Declension

Further reading

Kristang

Noun

fake

  1. knife

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English fake.

Pronunciation

Adjective

fake (invariable)

  1. (Internet slang) fake, untrue, not genuine
    Synonym: falso
    Antonyms: verdadeiro, genuíno

Noun

fake m (plural fakes)

  1. (Internet slang) a fake account in a social network or other online community; a sock puppet

Further reading