English Meaning & Definitions
Made in exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or defraud.
- “He was arrested for trying to pass off counterfeit hundred-dollar bills at the store.”
- “The customs agents seized thousands of pairs of counterfeit designer shoes.”
A fraudulent imitation of something else; a forgery.
- “Experts quickly determined that the painting was a clever counterfeit.”
- “The police warned local merchants to be on the lookout for counterfeits.”
To imitate something valuable or authentic with the intent to deceive.
- “The criminal syndicate began to counterfeit passport documents and visas.”
- “It is a federal offense to counterfeit currency.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “counterfeit”.
Derived from the Old French 'contrefait', past participle of 'contrefaire' (to copy, imitate), from Latin 'contra-' (against, in opposition) + 'facere' (to make, do). Originally meant to make a copy in opposition to the original, evolving to specifically denote fraudulent imitation.
Think of 'counter' (as in opposing or fake) and 'feit' (sounds like 'fact'). A counterfeit is a fake fact or imitation.
Frequently Asked Questions About “counterfeit”
1. What is the meaning of “counterfeit” in English?
In English, counterfeit (adjective) is defined as: “Made in exact imitation of something valuable or important with the intention to deceive or defraud.”.
2. How do you use “counterfeit” in a sentence?
“He was arrested for trying to pass off counterfeit hundred-dollar bills at the store.”
3. What are English synonyms of “counterfeit”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “counterfeit”?
Derived from the Old French 'contrefait', past participle of 'contrefaire' (to copy, imitate), from Latin 'contra-' (against, in opposition) + 'facere' (to make, do). Originally meant to make a copy in opposition to the original, evolving to specifically denote fraudulent imitation.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.