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View definitions for sham

sham

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Example Sentences

When they injected the molecule into the stomachs of normal mice, the rodents were able to remember the location of a platform in an underwater maze and find it three times faster than mice that had received sham injections.

Yet it has repeatedly refused to seriously challenge the administration of President Vladimir Putin and has effectively served to legitimize the Kremlin’s sham democracy.

From Ozy

From that second on, I realized it was all a sham, that he was actually shy, funny, sentimental, a joy to be with.

Artiles allegedly instructed the sham candidate, who did not live in the Miami-area district, to use the address of a property in Palmetto Bay that Alex Rodriguez still owned, but no longer resided at, according to the affidavit.

The EPA has turned the entire process into “a sham,” said Lianne Sheppard, a professor of biostatistics and environmental health at the University of Washington.

Islamist brigades including Suqur al-Sham, a 9,000-strong militia, are openly breaking with Western-favored rebel factions.

Then came the admission of a sham marriage with an immigrant.

Also in 1997, Hayes entered a sham marriage with a Nigerian immigrant, for which she was paid $5,000.

Both Iran and the United States share a common enemy in the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

I remember the first time I heard of the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).

Part of that idea was sham bric-à-brac, the rest was carte blanche to Messrs. Spick and Span.

The camping-out at Streetly Wood has annually recurred since that date; the first sham fight took place June 20, 1877.

If we nevertheless receive them, it is the effect of His bountiful goodness, and not the result of our sham prayer.

It is full of deceit, sham, and pharisaism—an aggravated counterpart of the outside world.

The sham patient sprang to the door at the end of the passage, opened it softly, and stood listening.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for sham?

The word sham commonly refers to something that’s not what it claims to be—some kind of fraud or fake. This sense of the word can even refer to a person, as in He’s a total fake, a sham—you should see what he’s really like. 

Sham is often used even more specifically to refer to something that’s considered a scam, con, or hoax, as in This whole thing is a sham—they’re just trying to get your money. 

Sometimes, sham refers to a situation that’s considered illegitimate for some reason, as in The trial was a sham—there wasn’t even a jury. Synonyms for this sense are farce and mockery.

Sham can also be used as an adjective for any of these senses, as in sham trial (an illegitimate one), sham marriage (one in which the couple aren’t in a real relationship), or sham version (a fake or knockoff version).

How do you use sham in a sentence?

We use sham in a number of different ways, but they all involve some kind of falseness or fakeness. It’s usually always used negatively.

Here are some examples of sham in a sentence:

  • The “charity” event was a sham—it was just an excuse for a tax write-off.
  • I knew something about him seemed fake, but I didn’t expect him to turn out to be a complete sham. 
  • The dictator is known for holding sham elections to give the appearance of legitimacy.

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On this page you'll find 218 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to sham, such as: bogus, fictitious, fraudulent, phony, adulterated, and affected.

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.

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