I. ˈsham, -aa(ə)m noun
( -s )
Etymology: perhaps from English dialect sham shame, alteration of English shame (I)
1. : a trick that deludes : hoax
the so-called sale of stocks was a mere sham
2. : cheap falseness : hypocrisy , deceitfulness
saw through the hollowness, the sham , the silliness of the empty pageant — Oscar Wilde
3. : a decorative piece of cloth that is made to simulate an article of personal or household linen and is used in place of it or over it ; specifically : pillow sham
4. : a fraudulent imitation : a counterfeit purporting to be genuine
has reduced national sovereignty to a sham although it has left its outward symbols intact — Isaac Deutscher
5. : a person who shams
Synonyms: see imposture
II. verb
( shammed ; shammed ; shamming ; shams )
transitive verb
1. archaic : trick , deceive , cheat
2. : to put (as into a desirable position) by fraud
shammed herself into favor at court
3. obsolete : to get rid of by fraud : pass off
4. : to go through the external motions necessary to counterfeit
have shammed headache and have the garden all to myself — G.B.Shaw
intransitive verb
1. : to act intentionally so as to give a false impression : fake
decided she was not sick but only shamming
2. : to pretend to be
if you want me for a friend you must not sham stupid — George Meredith
Synonyms: see assume
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- sham abraham
III. adjective
: marked by falseness: as
a. : not genuine
the reaction of a terribly sincere spirit to something he believes to be sham and sophisticated — Herbert Read
fought sham battles while waiting for the real thing
sham pearls
b. : having such poor quality as to seem false : adulterated
sham tea, sham jam, processed butter, gray bread scorched into toast — Wyndham Lewis
Synonyms: see counterfeit