humbug

¹hum·bug

noun \ˈhəm-ˌbəg\

Definition of HUMBUG

1

a : something designed to deceive and mislead

b : a willfully false, deceptive, or insincere person

2

: an attitude or spirit of pretense and deception

3

: nonsense, drivel

4

British : a hard usually mint-flavored candy

— hum·bug·gery \-ˌbə-g(ə-)rē\ noun

Examples of HUMBUG

1. <tests showed that the “old” map of America was a cleverly made humbug>
2. <those UFO stories are a lot of humbug>

Origin of HUMBUG

origin unknown

First Known Use: 1750

Related to HUMBUG

Synonyms

counterfeit, forgery, hoax, fake, phony (also phoney), sham

Related Words

copycat, knockoff; copy, facsimile, replica, reproduction; dummy, mock-up; fraud, gaff, imposture, spoof, swindle; simulation, synthetic; bastard, brummagem, duffer, shoddy

Near Antonyms

original

See Synonym Discussion at imposture

Rhymes with HUMBUG

bear hug, bedbug, billbug, debug, earplug, firebug, fireplug, goldbug, june bug, lovebug, prayer rug, sea slug, smart drug, spark plug, stinkbug, throw rug, unplug, wall plug

²humbug

verb

hum·buggedhum·bug·ging

Definition of HUMBUG

transitive verb

: deceive, hoax

intransitive verb

: to engage in a hoax or deception

Examples of HUMBUG

1. <humbugged into believing that the bones were the skeleton of a prehistoric human being>

First Known Use of HUMBUG

1751

Related to HUMBUG

Synonyms

bamboozle, beguile, bluff, buffalo, burn, catch, con, cozen, delude, dupe, fake out, fool, gaff, gammon, gull, have, have on [chiefly British], hoax, hoodwink, hornswoggle, deceive, juggle, misguide, misinform, mislead, snooker, snow, spoof, string along, sucker, suck in, take in, trick

Antonyms

undeceive

Related Words

kid, put on, tease; bleed, cheat, chisel, defraud, diddle, euchre, flam, fleece, gyp, hustle, mulct, rook, shortchange, skin, squeeze, stick, sting, swindle

Near Antonyms

debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask; disclose, divulge, tell, unveil; disabuse, disenchant, disillusion