Fake Meaning
/feɪ̯k/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjNot real; false, fraudulent.
adjInsincere
Sentence Examples
I don't need fake friends.
His fake moustache started to peel off on one side.
There were a few stalls selling fake designer clothing.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The detective quickly spotted the ____ diamond on the suspect's ring.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It turned out that the designer handbag she bought at the market was actually a ____.
Word Origin & History
The origin is not known with certainty, although first attested in 1775 C.E. in British criminals' slang. It is probably from feak, feague (“to give a better appearance through artificial means, spruce up, embellish”), itself from German Low German fegen, from Middle Low German vēgen, from Old Saxon fegōn, from Proto-West Germanic *fegōn (“to clean up, polish”). Akin to Dutch veeg (“a swipe”), Dutch vegen (“to sweep, wipe”); German fegen (“to sweep, to polish”). Compare also Old English fācn (“deceit, fraud”). Perhaps related also to Old Norse fjúka (“to fade, vanquish, disappear”), Old Norse feikn (“strange, scary, unnatural”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Seeing Rossano Brazzi play an aristocratic White Russian, standing in the fakest snow that wartime supplies could buy, may be the most peculiar twist of all in the curious story of how Ayn Rand's autobiographical first novel came to the screen."
— 1988 November 25, Caryn James, “Ayn Rand Adaptation By Italian”, in The New York Times:
"The truth panic had the unwelcome side-effect of emboldening those it sought to oppose. “Fake” was one of Trump’s favourite slap-downs, especially to news outlets that reported unwelcome facts about him and his associates. A booming Maga media further amplified the president’s lies and denials."
— 2025 October 2, William Davies, “A critique of pure stupidity: understanding Trump 2.0”, in The Guardian:
"Among other interesting and weighty opinions, which were in general agreement with our contentions, was one by Mr. H. A. Staddon of Goodmayes, a gentleman who had made a particular hobby of fakes in photography. His report is too long and too technical for inclusion, but, under the various headings of composition, dress, development, density, lighting, poise, texture, plate, atmosphere, focus, halation, he goes very completely into the evidence, coming to the final conclusion that when tried by all these tests the chances are not less than 80 per cent. in favour of authenticity."
— 1922, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Coming of the Fairies:
""She constantly faked being sick, and perhaps mistakenly, I indulged her more than I should have, pretending I couldn't tell. But I AM a teacher myself, so it's kind of hard to just let this slide.""
— 2013, Jocelyn Samara D., Rain, volume 1, →ISBN, page 193:
"He had a hundred similar tricks, but I never knew him fake a horse, or sell one as sound if it was not."
— 1944, George Henderson, The Farming Ladder:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The detective quickly spotted the ____ diamond on the suspect's ring.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
It turned out that the designer handbag she bought at the market was actually a ____.