hoax

1 of 3

verb

ˈhōks 

hoaxed; hoaxing; hoaxes

transitive verb

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

were hoaxed by the website

hoaxer noun

hoax

2 of 3

noun (1)

1

: an act intended to trick or dupe : imposture

the victim of a cruel hoax

assumed the bomb threat was just a hoax

2

: something accepted or established by fraud or fabrication

believes the Loch Ness Monster is a hoax

a literary hoax

hoaxer

3 of 3

noun (2)

hoax·​er

plural -s

: a person who perpetrates a hoax

Synonyms of hoax

Verb

• trick
• fool
• deceive

Noun (1)

• counterfeit
• fake
• sham
• forgery
• phony
• copy

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 (1)

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

Verb

Many Canadians began to feel as if they had been hoaxed. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2025

Kansas State University First day of classes interrupted by Hale Library hoax. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2025

Noun

Rumors claim that the virus is a hoax, that health workers are profiting from the outbreak or that hospitals are withholding lifesaving treatments. — ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026

America’s penny press transformed journalism in the 1830s, using hoaxes, sensationalism, and mass circulation to create a blueprint for modern media. — Big Think, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (1)

probably contraction of hocus

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1796, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1808, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hoax

• blokes
• chokes
• cloaks
• coax
• cokes
• folks
• jokes
• oaks
• pokes
• smokes
• soaks
• spokes

Kids Definition

hoax

noun

ˈhōks

1

: an act intended to trick or deceive

2

: something false passed off or accepted as genuine

hoax verb

hoaxer noun