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Sham vs Cheat - What's the difference?

sham | cheat | Related terms |

As nouns the difference between sham and cheat

is that sham is a fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine while cheat is someone who cheats (informal: cheater).

As verbs the difference between sham and cheat

is that sham is to deceive, cheat, lie while cheat is to violate rules in order to gain advantage from a situation.

As an adjective sham

is intended to deceive; false.

sham

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • 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
  • * Jowett
  • They scorned the sham independence proffered to them by the Athenians.

    Synonyms

    * mock * See also

    Antonyms

    * genuine * sincere * real

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • 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.
  • Derived terms

    * shamateur

    See also

    * pillow sham

    Verb

    (shamm)
  • To deceive, cheat, lie.
  • * L'Estrange
  • Fooled and shammed into a conviction.
  • To obtrude by fraud or imposition.
  • * L'Estrange
  • We must have a care that we do not sham fallacies upon the world for current reason.
  • To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.
  • Anagrams

    * * * * ----

    cheat

    English

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To violate rules in order to gain advantage from a situation.
  • My brother flunked biology because he cheated on his mid-term.
  • To be unfaithful to one's spouse or partner.
  • My husband cheated on me with his secretary.
  • To manage to avoid something even though it seemed unlikely.
  • He cheated death when his car collided with a moving train.
    I feel as if I've cheated fate.
  • To deceive; to fool; to trick.
  • My ex-wife cheated me out of $40,000.
    He cheated his way into office.
  • * Shakespeare
  • I am subject to a tyrant, a sorcerer, that by his cunning hath cheated me of this island.
  • To beguile.
  • (Sir Walter Scott)
  • * Washington Irving
  • to cheat winter of its dreariness

    Synonyms

    * belirt * blench * break the rules * lirt

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Someone who cheats (informal: cheater).
  • An act of deception or fraud; that which is the means of fraud or deception; a fraud; a trick; imposition; imposture.
  • * Dryden
  • When I consider life, 'tis all a cheat .
  • The weed cheatgrass.
  • A card game where the goal is to have no cards remaining in a hand, often by telling lies.
  • A hidden means of gaining an unfair advantage in a computer game, often by entering a cheat code.
  • Synonyms

    * (card game ) bullshit, BS, I doubt it

    Derived terms

    * cheat code * cheater * cheating * cheat on * cheat the hangman * windcheater

    See also

    *

    Anagrams

    * * *