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Definition of "counterfeit" []

  • To make a copy of, usually with the intent to defraud; forge: counterfeits money. (verb-transitive)
  • To make a pretense of; feign: counterfeited interest in the story. (verb-transitive)
  • To carry on a deception; dissemble. (verb-intransitive)
  • To make fraudulent copies of something valuable. (verb-intransitive)
  • Made in imitation of what is genuine with the intent to defraud: a counterfeit dollar bill. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "counterfeit" in a sentence
  • "You can see from this video that the counterfeit is almost as dull as the real thing; an astonishing achievement."
  • "But of what they call counterfeit pleasures they make naught; as of pride in apparel and gems, or in vain honours; or of dicing; or hunting, which they deem the most abject kind of butchery."
  • "Cross-border trade in counterfeit and pirated goods is a growing global problem that often involves organized criminal networks."