Webster's English Dictionary

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sham

Cross references:
  1. imposture              2. assume                
 
1. sham \'sham\ n [perh. fr. E dial. sham shame, alter. of E shame] 1: a 
   trick that deludes : HOAX  2: cheap falseness : HYPOCRISY  3: a decorative 
   piece of cloth made to simulate an article of personal or h ousehold linen 
   and used in place of or over it 4: an imitation or counterfeit purporting 
   to be genuine  5: a person who shams 
2. sham vb or shammed;  or sham.ming archaic  1: TRICK, DECEIVE  2: to go 
   through the external motions necessary to counterfeit  : to act 
   intentionally so as to give a false impression : FEIGN 
3. sham aj : FALSE : as  : FEIGNED, PRETENDED {~ battle}  : that shams or 
   is made or used as a sham {~ jewelry}