hoax

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verb

ˈhōks

hoaxed; hoaxing; hoaxes

Synonyms of hoax next

transitive verb

: to trick into believing or accepting as genuine something false and often preposterous

were hoaxed by the website

hoaxer noun

hoax

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noun

: an act intended to trick or dupe : imposture

the victim of a cruel hoax

assumed the bomb threat was just a hoax

: something accepted or established by fraud or fabrication

believes the Loch Ness Monster is a hoax

a literary hoax

Examples of hoax in a Sentence

Verb a skilled forger who hoaxed the art world into believing that the paintings were long-lost Vermeers Noun The bomb threat is probably a hoax, but we should still evacuate the building. She was the victim of a cruel hoax.

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Verb

Doxxed addresses have led to hoax 911 calls that prompted SWAT teams to raid victims’ homes. —

Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 10 June 2024 Such criticism has led some police to respond more aggressively to hoax school shooting calls. —

Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 5 Oct. 2023

Noun

But there was something even more significant: For a generation, conservatives — not just the far right, which Crusius appeared to identify with — had propelled the notion that climate change was a hoax fabricated so the government could impose new restrictions on the economy and society. —

Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica, 19 Oct. 2024 In Finland, teaching students to spot disinformation and fake news Being able to identify hoaxes, avoid scams, and debunk propaganda is a civic skill required in today's information society. —

David Morgan, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hoax