fake it

fake it — phrasal verb

  • fake itbase form
  • fakes it3rd person singular
  • faking it-ing form
  • faked itpast simple

1. to behave as if you have a skill, ability, or emotion that you do not truly poss

1.phrasal verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to behave as if you have a skill, ability, or emotion that you do not truly possess, often so that you can manage a difficult situation without revealing your lack of experience.

Example

Ilan had never played a saxophone, but he faked it and nobody noticed.

When asked about a skill she did not have, Dewi faked it with a confident smile.

fake it + when faced with a question

Common collocations
  • fake it till you make it
  • fake it through something
  • fake it with confidence
Synonyms
  • bluff

    more specific to games or deception; 'fake it' is broader for any pretence of ability

  • pretend

    more general; 'fake it' carries a sense of performing under pressure

  • put on an act

    more theatrical; 'fake it' implies a practical need to get through something

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

fake it

fake it + adverb

fake it through + noun phrase

Usage Note

Frequently used in the set phrase 'fake it till you make it', which encourages someone to keep acting confidently until they genuinely develop the skill or quality.

Common Mistakes

She faked it on the exam by studying hard every night.
She faked it on the exam by looking at her neighbour's paper.
'fake it' means to pretend or deceive, not to work hard or prepare.

Synonym discussion

Sense: phrasal verb/1

All three words describe some form of deception, but each has a different feel. 'Bluff' is most at home in games or competitive situations — you bluff to make opponents believe you hold better cards than you do. 'Pretend' is the broadest term; a child pretending to be a superhero and an adult pretending to enjoy a boring party both work. 'Fake it' sits between them: it always involves a practical pressure to perform (a speech, a job interview, playing an instrument), and it carries the idea that you are covering up a real lack of ability to get through a specific moment. 'Put on an act' is more theatrical and suggests a sustained performance rather than a quick cover-up. In everyday conversation, a colleague who has no idea how to use the software but opens it anyway and clicks confidently is faking it; a poker player who raises her bet with a weak hand is bluffing; a child who tells her mother she is a dragon is pretending.

bluff ↗pretend ↗put on an act

Etymology

Germanic cantEnglish

The verb 'fake' first appeared in 18th-century British thieves' cant, possibly from German 'fegen' (to sweep) or an older word 'feague' (to make something look better than it is). By the 1800s it meant to counterfeit or forge. The phrase 'fake it' emerged in early 20th-century American show business, where performers who forgot their lines would 'fake it' — improvise convincingly on stage. The motivational saying 'fake it till you make it' spread through self-help books in the 1970s.