sham
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sham¹
- /ˈʃæm/
- [ˈʃæm]
- /ˈʃeə̯m/ Canada, US
- [ˈʃeə̯m] Canada, US
- /ˈʃɛə̯m/ Canada, US
- [ˈʃɛə̯m] Canada, US
Rhymes with -æm
Where it comes from
Probably a dialectal form of shame.
Alternatively, sham is a term that is used to describe the bottom thick base of a glass, usually a wine or stem glass, where the stem meets the bulbous shape bowl. Glass manufacturers would increase the "sham" to deceive customers into thinking a glass holds more than it actually does. For example, a manufacturer would mold a 12oz glass with a larger "sham" in the base to reduce the volume of the glasses to fit 10-11oz of liquid. By increasing the bulge in the base, usually where the stem meets the glass, it is almost impossible to visually distinguish the difference. This gives the illusion the glass size is the same as any another 12oz glass, but the inside will hold a lesser volume. Later, bringing use to the term "you got shammed" when one party tries to hide something and/or get over on the other party using deceiving tactics.
adjective more sham · most sham
- Intended to deceive; false. It was only a sham wedding: they didn't care much for one another, but wanted their parents to stop hassling them.
- Counterfeit; unreal. For this young lady was not able to carry out any emotion to the full; but had a sham enthusiasm, a sham hatred, a sham love, a sham taste, a sham grief, each of which flared and shone very vehemently for an instant, but subsided and gave place to the next sham emotion.
noun shams
- A fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine. The time-share deal was a sham.
- Trickery, hoaxing. A con-man must be skilled in the arts of sham and deceit.
- A false front, or removable ornamental covering.
- A decorative cover for a pillow.
Similar: farce
verb shams · shamming · shammed
- To deceive, cheat, lie. He shammed a migraine to avoid the exam.
- To obtrude by fraud or imposition. But we muſt have a care all this while, not to […] Sham Fallacyes upon the World for Current Reaſon
- To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.
sham²
- /ˈʃæm/
- [ˈʃæm]
- /ˈʃeə̯m/ Canada, US
- [ˈʃeə̯m] Canada, US
- /ˈʃɛə̯m/ Canada, US
- [ˈʃɛə̯m] Canada, US
Rhymes with -æm
noun
- Clipping of champagne So I orders a bottle, as if for myself; and, ‘Ma’am, says I, ‘will you take a glass of Sham—just one?’
Sham³
Where it comes from
It could be from Arabic شَام (šām, literally “Syria”), from which it spread also to Gujarat. Perhaps also an altered spelling of French Cham.
proper noun Shams
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: fake, faker, dissemble, pretended, imposter, feign, assumed, impostor, pretend, counterfeit, pretender, fraud, fictitious, pseud, affect, pseudo
noun
Similar: farce
Translations
Every language
adj intended to deceive
| Español | falso, fingido, ficticio, sacha |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 偽 /伪 wěi |
| Deutsch | falsch, Schein- |
| Italiano | fasullo |
| Română | păcăleală |
| Русский | фикти́вный fiktívnyj, фальшивый falʹšivyj |
noun fake, imitation
| 日本語 | 紛い物 magaimono, 真似事 manegoto |
|---|---|
| Português | farsa |
| Français | faux-semblant |
| Deutsch | Fälschung, Imitat |
| Italiano | falso |
| Русский | подде́лка poddélka, притво́рство pritvórstvo |
noun trickery, hoaxing
| Español | engaño, truco, fraude, farsa, chanchullo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | ごまかし gomakashi, まやかし mayakashi, 詐欺 sagi |
| 中文 | 迷雾 míwù, 迷思 míwù, ( |
| Português | farsa |
| Français | feinte, tromperie, ruse, astuce |
| Deutsch | Schwindel, Mogelei, Betrug |
| Italiano | trucco, finta |
| Ελληνικά | ψευδής psevdís |
| Русский | моше́нничество mošénničestvo, жу́льничество žúlʹničestvo |
verb to cheat or deceive
| Español | fingir |
|---|---|
| Français | tromper, tricher, mentir |
| Deutsch | sich verstellen |
| Română | păcăli |
| Русский | моше́нничать mošénničatʹ, жу́льничать žúlʹničatʹ, притворя́ться pritvorjátʹsja |
Talk about this word "sham." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sham. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sham. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sham "sham." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sham.Cite this
@misc{sham_2026,
title = {sham},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sham},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
