Samantha ColeDrew HarwellElias Groll and Amy Mackinnon
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The old maxim "things aren’t always as they seem" seems more true than ever in the age of deepfakes. A deepfake is an image, or a video or audio recording, that has been edited using an algorithm to replace the person in the original with someone else (especially a public figure) in a way that makes it look authentic. The fake in deepfake is transparent: deepfakes are not real. The deep is less self-explanatory: this half of the term is specifically influenced by deep learning—that is, machine learning using artificial neural networks with multiple layers of algorithms.
Examples of deepfake in a Sentence
Charlie Fink, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
Recent McAfee research shows that the average American sees an average of 14 scam messages and deepfakes on social media, via text and email, daily.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 18 Apr. 2025
In the absence of federal law, several states have already taken steps to outlaw AI deepfakes, including California and Tennessee.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 9 Apr. 2025
Those who post the deepfakes face damages of at least $5,000 per work, or any actual damages plus profits from the unauthorized use.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 9 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for deepfake
Cite this Entry
“Deepfake.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deepfake. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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