counterfeiting

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

coun•ter•feit /ˈkaʊntɚˌfɪt/   adj. 

1. made in imitation of something genuine with the intention of deceiving;
   forged:
   a plot to make counterfeit money.
2. pretended;
   unreal:
   counterfeit grief.

n. [countable]

3. an imitation intended to be used as genuine;
   forgery:
   The expert held up the $20 bill and exclaimed, "It's an obvious counterfeit.''

v. 

4. to make a counterfeit (of);
   forge: [no object]
   guilty of counterfeiting.
   [~ + object]
   The crooks counterfeited five-dollar bills.
5. to pretend to have (an emotion, etc.):
   [~ + object] counterfeiting his grief for the benefit of the observers.

coun•ter•feit•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

coun•ter•feit  (koun′tər fit′), adj. 

1. made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine;
   not genuine;
   forged:
   counterfeit dollar bills.
2. pretended;
   unreal:
   counterfeit grief.

n. 

3. an imitation intended to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine;
   forgery.
4. [Archaic.] a copy.
5. [Archaic.] a close likeness;
   portrait.
6. [Obs.] impostor;
   pretender.

v.t. 

7. to make a counterfeit of;
   imitate fraudulently;
   forge.
8. to resemble.
9. to simulate.

v.i. 

10. to make counterfeits, as of money.
11. to feign;
    dissemble.

• Anglo-French cuntrefet, Old French contrefait, past participle of conterfere to copy, imitate, equivalent. to conter- counter- + fere to make, do Latin facere (see fact); (verb, verbal) Middle English countrefeten, verb, verbal derivative of countrefet
• (adjective, adjectival) Middle English countrefet false, forged 1250–1300

coun′ter•feit′er, n. 
coun′ter•feit′ly, adv. 
coun′ter•feit′ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. spurious, bogus. See false. 
• 2. sham, feigned, simulated, fraudulent; mock, fake, ersatz.
• 3. falsification, sham.
• 7. copy; falsify.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

counterfeit / ˈkaʊntəfɪt/ adjective

1. made in imitation of something genuine with the intent to deceive or defraud; forged
2. simulated; sham: counterfeit affection

noun

1. an imitation designed to deceive or defraud
2. an impostor; cheat

verb

1. (transitive) to make a fraudulent imitation of
2. (intransitive) to make counterfeits
3. to feign; simulate
4. (transitive) to imitate; copy

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French contrefait, from contrefaire to copy, from contre- counter- + faire to make, from Latin facere

ˈcounterfeiter noun