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

More recently, judges in several states ordered him to pay $1.5 billion to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting, which Jones had called a hoax. —Andy Kroll, ProPublica, 16 July 2024

This mainstream media would still be perpetrating the four-year hoax of covering up Biden’s incompetence if Donald Trump did not accept the debate with Biden. —For Carroll County Times, Baltimore Sun, 16 July 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