n. 1. a. Something false or empty that is purported to be genuine: “Because she had been so readily unfaithful, her marriage was a sham” (Alice Munro). b. Deceitfulness or pretense: “She saw herself as a person surrounded by, living by, sham” (Alice Munro). c. A person who claims to be what that person is not; an impostor or fraud: “He a man! Hell! He was a hollow sham!” (Joseph Conrad). 2. A decorative cover for a pillow. adj. Not genuine; fake: sham diamonds; sham modesty. v. shammed, sham·ming, shams v. tr. To put on the false appearance of; feign: “shamming insanity to get his tormentors to leave him alone” (John Wain). v. intr. To assume a false appearance or character; dissemble. [Perhaps dialectal variant of SHAME.] shammer n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.