hoax

[ hohks ]

noun

1. something intended to deceive or defraud:

   The Piltdown man was a scientific hoax.

   Synonyms: humbug, imposture, fake, fraud, deception

verb (used with object)

1. to deceive by a hoax; hoodwink.

hoax

/ həʊks /

noun

1. a deception, esp a practical joke

verb

1. tr to deceive or play a joke on (someone)

Derived Forms

• ˈhoaxer, noun

Other Words From

• hoaxer noun
• un·hoaxed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hoax¹

First recorded in 1790–1800; perhaps contraction of hocus

Word History and Origins

Origin of hoax¹

C18: probably from hocus

Example Sentences

She still had refused to accept she was a victim of an elaborate hoax, and had rushed to the police station, hoping that “the police station and officers were real”.

From BBC

He called global warming a hoax, pulled out of the Paris climate agreement, shrank national monuments and appointed Environmental Protection Agency administrators who helped polluters at the expense of public health.

From Los Angeles Times

Thursday it was revealed that the Onion won an auction to acquire Infowars, Alex Jones’ vile repository of harmful lies that was sold as part of a defamation settlement after he falsely claimed that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut was a hoax.

From Los Angeles Times

Jones is renowned for “reexamining” American tragedies and decrying them as a hoax.

From Los Angeles Times

He talked about the so-called Russia hoax and relitigated the recent midterm elections and swung wildly from one tangent to another.

From Slate