Pronunciation: /ʃæm/
noun a thing that is not what it is purported to be
A1 She wore a sham crown during the school play.
A2 The website was just a sham, it didn't actually sell any products.
B1 The politician's promises turned out to be a sham, as he didn't follow through on any of them.
B2 The company's claims of sustainability were revealed to be a sham when they were caught polluting the environment.
C1 The elaborate scheme was a sham to cover up the embezzlement of millions of dollars.
C2 The elaborate facade of the business was nothing but a sham to deceive investors.
verb to falsely present oneself as something; to pretend
A1 She shams being sick to avoid going to school.
A2 He shams interest in the conversation to seem polite.
B1 The company shammed compliance with the regulations to avoid penalties.
B2 The politician shammed concern for the environment to gain votes.
C1 The actor shams emotions on stage to portray the character authentically.
C2 The con artist shammed innocence to deceive the jury.
formal The company was accused of engaging in a sham transaction to inflate their revenue.
informal I can't believe they tried to pull off that sham deal.
slang That whole situation was just a big sham.
figurative His promises turned out to be nothing but a sham.
shammed
shams
more sham
most sham
shams
will sham
have shammed
is shamming
sham
sham
to sham
shamming
shamming