phony 1 of 3

variants also phoney
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phony

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noun

variants also phoney

phony

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verb

as in to fake
to imitate or copy especially in order to deceive the terrorists were able to move around the country using phonied driver's licenses

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of phony
Adjective
The scammers use social media such as Facebook and Instagram to market their phony products as well as a variety of online marketplaces and fake retail websites. Steve Weisman, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024 Oxford police responded to the bank on Friday around 3:40 p.m. on the report of someone using a phony ID to access a customer’s account information, according to Connecticut State Police. Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 Nov. 2024
Noun
Sadly, calling Bryson DeChambeau a world-class phony doesn’t make any of this better, or more comprehensible. Washington Post, 21 June 2024 The Greek absurdist filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is a phony. Armond White, National Review, 21 June 2024
Verb
What constitutes the crime is to phony up business accounting records to disguise the payments. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024 In fact, legislators and regulators are rolling back regulations designed to protect investors, who in this case are estimated to have lost $100 billion to phony Chinese firms. Gary Thompson, Philly.com, 29 Mar. 2018 See all Example Sentences for phony 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for phony
Adjective
  • The claim: Image shows UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting suspect’s fake ID A Dec. 9 Threads post (direct link, archive link) shows an image of what at first glance appears to be a Hawaii driver’s license with a photo of the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
    Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
  • The porch is covered in fake roses, from its pillars to ceiling to gable, where Cantabrana places a small Guadalupe statue in its apex.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Cops arrested four individuals from New Jersey linked to the bogus fundraisers.
    Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 8 Dec. 2024
  • Phishing Susceptibility Phishing attacks, which involve hackers stealing passwords from users via bogus websites or emails, are a significant issue with passwords.
    Mark Vena, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Critics might argue that the opposition’s electoral victory was meaningless because Maduro ultimately retained power and intensified repression.
    Francisco Rodríguez, Foreign Affairs, 28 Nov. 2024
  • The in-season tourney is, objectively, a meaningless competition.
    Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The National Crime Prevention Council believes counterfeiting is an even bigger problem, pegging counterfeits as a $2 trillion business at the end of 2023.
    Adriana Lee, WWD, 26 Nov. 2024
  • Haotian Sun and Pengfei Xue exploited Apple's iPhone repair process by sending more than 6,000 counterfeit phones to the manufacturer that couldn't be repaired, in order to induce the company to replace the counterfeits with genuine iPhones, federal prosecutors said this week.
    Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 5 Oct. 2024
Noun
  • One group acted as a control (no balloon), one as a sham (the balloon was uninflated), and the third was the treatment group (inflated device).
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 8 Dec. 2024
  • These are the pillows, blankets, shams, duvet covers, and more that make their nights better.
    Cortne Bonilla, Vogue, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • On Wednesday, the links between the two families were further forged when Queen Camilla joined Marcon’s wife, Brigitte, at a literary event in London.
    Simon Perry, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
  • Artists who take time to explore their own values, ideas and intentions can not only produce more profound work but also forge stronger connections with their audience, which can enhance their work’s value.
    Kolja Brand, Forbes, 6 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Not least because they could easily be employed to provide a false impression of impartiality, while actually hiding their own biases in a way that the audience might not even be aware of.
    Federico Guerrini, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
  • The Facebook post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed.
    Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu, Austin American-Statesman, 8 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • This could certainly change if the Rockets land a certain French teenager in this year's draft lottery, but the first half of 2022-23 has assuaged some concerns about the long-term viability of a pseudo-twin-towers in the starting lineup with Jabari Smith flanked by Alperen Şengün.
    Michael Shapiro, Chron, 15 Jan. 2023
  • In a code division scheme, each call is encoded in a random or pseudo-random sequencing, and receivers at the other end are equipped to decode their own calls.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 27 Apr. 2021

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Cite this Entry

“Phony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/phony. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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