as in counterfeit
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
the skeleton of the purported ancient hominid turned out to be a hoax
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to trick
to cause to believe what is untrue
a skilled forger who hoaxed the art world into believing that the paintings were long-lost Vermeers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hoax
EW.com, 15 July 2025
Beginning with June's study, NewsGuard intends to publish monthly reports tracking these trends, providing insights into how hoaxes and foreign information operations can succeed in misleading the public.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025
Mimansa Verma, Quartz, 30 Mar. 2023
Related:Teen jailed after bomb threat hoax AirDropped to American Airlines passengers in El Paso The passenger was traveling with a companion and both were unharmed, though their clothes were soiled with food and wine.
—Dallas News, 2 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for hoax
Noun
When confronted with the information in these notes by 5280, Richard continued to deny that a hoax had been perpetrated.
—EW.com, 15 July 2025
Beginning with June's study, NewsGuard intends to publish monthly reports tracking these trends, providing insights into how hoaxes and foreign information operations can succeed in misleading the public.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025
Verb
Advertisement How aspiring Indian entrepreneurs and students were hoaxed in the quest for funding The World Startup Convention was originally scheduled for Jan. 14-16., before it was postponed to March 24-26.
—Mimansa Verma, Quartz, 30 Mar. 2023
Related:Teen jailed after bomb threat hoax AirDropped to American Airlines passengers in El Paso The passenger was traveling with a companion and both were unharmed, though their clothes were soiled with food and wine.
—Dallas News, 2 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for hoax
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoax
Noun
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Manufacturers use these to track inventory and flag counterfeits.—
Boutayna Chokrane,
Wired News,
8 July 2025
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But the errors on the alleged counterfeits aren’t the only reason that Levi’s believes PBG carried out its actions willfully and with knowledge.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
8 May 2025
Verb
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Luckily for Marian, much of Bertha’s attention is stolen by the unexpected arrival of her unsophisticated sister; Bertha’s too busy making snide comments and tricking her into wearing nicer gowns to even bother with Marian.—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
13 July 2025
-
The offense is built on outside runs and tricking the defense.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Trump — once a party pal of Epstein’s — insists the card is a fake and is suing the Journal.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
22 July 2025
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Much of their offense revolves around getting outside and creating displacement with motions and fakes.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Verb
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His impersonation is so convincing that Lu and Shin are initially fooled.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
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Don’t let the size fool you—this ultra-compact charger delivers impressive speed and efficiency for its footprint.—
Becca Blond,
Travel + Leisure,
13 July 2025
Noun
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The California high-speed rail project is a sham and should have been stopped many years ago.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
20 July 2025
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Some ought to know better: The false and horrific accusation before the highly politicized International Criminal Court is a total sham.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 July 2025
Verb
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More than 20 children are in the custody of a Southern California child-welfare agency as authorities investigate allegations of child abuse and whether surrogate mothers were deceived by a Los Angeles-area couple.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
17 July 2025
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And then he was wishy-washy, went back and forth, and she was deceived and disappointed by him.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
15 July 2025
Noun
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To pull off the ultimate heist in a world where trust is scarce, Halston must assemble an unlikely crew of fixers, including an expert in forgery, a merciless mob boss, and an eccentric fashion designer.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
16 July 2025
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Dennett was wanted for criminal conspiracy, forgery and a computer crime and was not allowed to have a gun, the sheriff’s office said.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Liberal Ted Garcia is a slick political phony — a cartoonish whitewash of actual government authoritarians (Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer, Andrew Cuomo, etc.).—
Armond White,
National Review,
23 July 2025
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The second batch of players then play a comp to find the missing relic amid a sea of phonies.—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoax.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoax. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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