From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Sham \Sham\, a.
False; counterfeit; pretended; feigned; unreal; as, a sham
fight.
[1913 Webster]
They scorned the sham independence proffered to them by
the Athenians. --Jowett
(Thucyd)
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Sham \Sham\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Shammed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Shamming.]
1. To trick; to cheat; to deceive or delude with false
pretenses.
[1913 Webster]
Fooled and shammed into a conviction. --L'Estrange.
[1913 Webster]
2. To obtrude by fraud or imposition. [R.]
[1913 Webster]
We must have a care that we do not . . . sham
fallacies upon the world for current reason.
--L'Estrange.
[1913 Webster]
3. To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape;
to feign.
[1913 Webster]
To sham Abram or To sham Abraham, to feign sickness; to
malinger. Hence a malingerer is called, in sailors' cant,
Sham Abram, or Sham Abraham.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Sham \Sham\, v. i.
To make false pretenses; to deceive; to feign; to impose.
[1913 Webster]
Wondering . . . whether those who lectured him were
such fools as they professed to be, or were only
shamming. --Macaulay.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Sham \Sham\ (sh[a^]m), n. [Originally the same word as shame,
hence, a disgrace, a trick. See Shame, n.]
1. That which deceives expectation; any trick, fraud, or
device that deludes and disappoints; a make-believe;
delusion; imposture; humbug. "A mere sham." --Bp.
Stillingfleet.
[1913 Webster]
Believe who will the solemn sham, not I. --Addison.
[1913 Webster]
2. A false front, or removable ornamental covering.
[1913 Webster]
Pillow sham, a covering to be laid on a pillow.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
sham
adj 1: adopted in order to deceive; "an assumed name"; "an
assumed cheerfulness"; "a fictitious address"; "fictive
sympathy"; "a pretended interest"; "a put-on childish
voice"; "sham modesty" [syn: assumed, false,
fictitious, fictive, pretended, put on, sham]
n 1: something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
[syn: fake, sham, postiche]
2: a person who makes deceitful pretenses [syn: imposter,
impostor, pretender, fake, faker, fraud, sham,
shammer, pseudo, pseud, role player]
v 1: make a pretence of; "She assumed indifference, even though
she was seething with anger"; "he feigned sleep" [syn:
simulate, assume, sham, feign]
2: make believe with the intent to deceive; "He feigned that he
was ill"; "He shammed a headache" [syn: feign, sham,
pretend, affect, dissemble]