PHONEY


Meaning of PHONEY in English

also phony

(~s)

1.

If you describe something as ~, you disapprove of it because it is false rather than genuine. (INFORMAL)

He’d telephoned with some ~ excuse she didn’t believe for a minute...

ADJ disapproval

2.

If you say that someone is ~, you disapprove of them because they are pretending to be someone that they are not in order to deceive people. (INFORMAL)

He looks totally ~ to me.

ADJ disapproval

Phoney is also a noun.

‘He’s false, a ~,’ Harry muttered.

N-COUNT

Collins COBUILD.      Толковый словарь английского языка для изучающих язык Коллинз COBUILD (международная база данных языков Бирмингемского университета) .