ENGLISH
REFERENCE

faking

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈfeɪkɪŋ// UK //fˈeɪkɪŋ// fak·ing

v. to pretend to have a feeling or illness to trick someone. You do this when you want people to believe something that is not true.

v. to feign a physical or emotional state for the purpose of deception. Often describes the simulation of illness or interest to gain an advantage or avoid a task.


SIMPLE

He is faking an illness to stay home from work.

CONTEXTUAL

The witness was accused of faking her surprise when the evidence was presented in court.

COMPLEX

Psychologists often study how effectively humans can detect when someone is faking a smile versus expressing genuine joy.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object, usually an abstract noun like 'illness', 'injury', or 'interest'.

Pitfall

He is faking to be sick.He is faking sickness.The verb 'fake' takes a noun phrase as an object rather than an infinitive clause.

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