I. coun ‧ ter ‧ feit 1 /ˈkaʊntəfɪt $ -tər-/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: past participle of contrefaire 'to copy' , from contre- ( ⇨ ↑ counter- ) + faire 'to make' ]
made to look exactly like something else, in order to deceive people SYN fake
counterfeit currency/money etc
counterfeit £10 notes
counterfeit goods/software etc
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THESAURUS
▪ false not real, but intended to seem real and deceive people:
He uses a false name.
▪ fake made to look or seem like something else, especially something worth a lot more money:
fake fur
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a fake Rolex watch
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fake designer goods
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a fake $100 bill
▪ forged a forged official document or bank note has been illegally made to look like a real one:
a forged passport
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a forged £50 note
▪ counterfeit /ˈkaʊntəfɪt $ -tər-/ counterfeit money or goods have been illegally made to look exactly like something else:
How do you detect counterfeit currency?
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counterfeit drugs
▪ imitation made to look real – used especially about guns, bombs etc or about materials:
The two men used an imitation firearm to carry out the robbery.
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imitation leather/silk/silver
▪ phoney/phony /ˈfəʊni $ ˈfoʊ-/ disapproving informal false – used when you think someone is deliberately trying to deceive people:
She put on a phoney New York accent.
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The doctors were accused of supplying phoney medical certificates.
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There’s something phoney about him.
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phony advertisements
▪ spurious /ˈspjʊəriəs $ ˈspjʊr-/ false and giving a wrong impression about someone or something:
spurious claims
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That’s a spurious argument.
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The company was trying to get some spurious respectability by using our name.
II. counterfeit 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to copy something exactly in order to deceive people SYN fake :
They admitted counterfeiting documents.
—counterfeiter noun [countable]