Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Sham \Sham\, a.
   False; counterfeit; pretended; feigned; unreal; as, a sham
   fight.

         They scorned the sham independence proffered to them by
         the Athenians.                           --Jowett
                                                  (Thucyd)

Sham \Sham\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Shammed}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Shamming}.]
   1. To trick; to cheat; to deceive or delude with false
      pretenses.

            Fooled and shammed into a conviction. --L'Estrange.

   2. To obtrude by fraud or imposition. [R.]

            We must have a care that we do not . . . sham
            fallacies upon the world for current reason.
                                                  --L'Estrange.

   3. To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape;
      to feign.

   {To sham Abram} or {Abraham}, to feign sickness; to malinger.
      Hence a malingerer is called, in sailors' cant, Sham
      Abram, or Sham Abraham.

Sham \Sham\, v. i.
   To make false pretenses; to deceive; to feign; to impose.

         Wondering . . . whether those who lectured him were
         such fools as they professed to be, or were only
         shamming.                                --Macaulay.

Sham \Sham\, n. [Originally the same word as shame, hence, a
   disgrace, a trick. See {Shame}, n.]
   1. That which deceives expectation; any trick, fraud, or
      device that deludes and disappoint; a make-believe;
      delusion; imposture, humbug. ``A mere sham.'' --Bp.
      Stillingfleet.

            Believe who will the solemn sham, not I. --Addison.

   2. A false front, or removable ornamental covering.

   {Pillow sham}, a covering to be laid on a pillow.

Source : WordNet®

sham
     adj : adopted in order to deceive; "an assumed name"; "an assumed
           cheerfulness"; "a fictitious address"; "fictive
           sympathy"; "a pretended interest"; "a put-on childish
           voice"; "sham modesty" [syn: {assumed}, {false}, {fictitious},
            {fictive}, {pretended}, {put on}]
     [also: {shamming}, {shammed}]

sham
     n 1: something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
          [syn: {fake}, {postiche}]
     2: a person who makes deceitful pretenses [syn: {imposter}, {impostor},
         {pretender}, {fake}, {faker}, {fraud}, {shammer}, {pseudo},
         {pseud}, {role player}]
     [also: {shamming}, {shammed}]

sham
     v 1: make a pretence of; "She assumed indifference, even though
          she was seething with anger"; "he feigned sleep" [syn: {simulate},
           {assume}, {feign}]
     2: make believe with the intent to deceive; "He feigned that he
        was ill"; "He shammed a headache" [syn: {feign}, {pretend},
         {affect}, {dissemble}]
     [also: {shamming}, {shammed}]