sham

//ʃæm//
C1Frequency Level 11Neutral
Visual representation of sham

Noun

shamSingular
shamsPlural
1

A thing that is not what it purports to be; a spurious imitation or pretense.

The election turned out to be a complete sham.

2

A person who pretends to be something they are not.

He claimed to be a doctor, but he was a complete sham.

Adjective

shamCanonical form
1

Not genuine; fake or false.

The detective quickly identified the sham documents.

Verb

shamPresent tense
shammedPast tense
shammedPast participle
shammingPresent participle
shamsThird-person singular
1

To falsely present something as the truth; to pretend or feign.

He shammed illness to avoid going to work.