Synonyms of hoax

hoax 1 of 2

noun

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

• counterfeit
• fake
• sham
• phoney
• forgery
• phony
• copy
• reproduction
• replica
• spoof
• synthetic
• humbug
• bastard
• copycat
• swindle
• knockoff
• simulation
• fraud
• imposture
• facsimile
• dummy
• gaff
• mock-up
• shoddy
• duffer
• brummagem

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• original

hoax

2 of 2

verb

ˈhōks 

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

• trick
• fool
• deceive
• spoof
• mislead
• dupe
• tease
• humbug
• kid
• sucker
• delude
• con
• misinform
• bluff
• gull
• gaff
• suck in
• snow
• cheat
• hoodwink
• bamboozle
• sting
• misguide
• string along
• buffalo
• hornswoggle
• fake out
• burn
• have on
• juggle
• cozen
• beguile
• catch
• take in
• snooker
• do a number on
• lead one down the garden path
• lead one up the garden path
• have
• swindle
• gammon
• pull one's leg
• pull the wool over one's eyes
• defraud
• put on
• stick
• flimflam
• fleece
• shortchange
• skin
• hustle
• bleed
• euchre
• rook
• mulct
• diddle
• chisel
• squeeze

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• undeceive
• reveal
• debunk
• expose
• show up
• unmask
• uncover
• tell
• disclose
• divulge
• unveil
• uncloak
• disillusion
• disabuse
• disenchant

Examples of hoax in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The legend of the jackalope began as a light-hearted hoax, taxidermists combining rabbit bodies with deer antlers to create this mythical beast. —Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 10 Oct. 2024

OpenAI has seen a continued stream of attempts to use AI as part of political misinformation campaigns on social media, but said the effort that spread widest was a hoax that only appeared to use its services. —Ina Fried, Axios, 9 Oct. 2024

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