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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of hoax
Aj Willingham,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
False claims about the virus, including that the epidemic was a hoax, have proliferated across the Central African nation, accelerating the spread of the disease in overcrowded displacement camps where hundreds of people often share a toilet, Reuters reported.
—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for hoax
Noun
The Pepsi-tampering mystery was unraveling today as several claims of objects found in soda cans were pronounced hoaxes.
—
Aj Willingham,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
False claims about the virus, including that the epidemic was a hoax, have proliferated across the Central African nation, accelerating the spread of the disease in overcrowded displacement camps where hundreds of people often share a toilet, Reuters reported.
—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for hoax
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoax
Noun
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Luxus focuses on pristine-condition assets with clear provenance, reducing risks associated with counterfeits and quality degradation.
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To me, the result didn’t taste like a cheap counterfeit but a breakthrough.
Verb
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Ricky Saints tricked the referee into thinking Lil Yachty used the kendo stick on him, and after traveling all the way to Riyadh, Yachty was tossed out just minutes into the match.
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Use a password manager so fake sites do not trick you into reusing passwords.
Noun
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The publicly available letter, which was dated June 18, comes as Europe prepares to start implementing more regulations under the AI Act this August, including the transparency obligations requiring companies to disclose deep fakes in audio and visual content.
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The fakes are similar to the genuine article in appearance, but some show poor craftsmanship.
Verb
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Don’t be fooled; this isn’t your typical museum.
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Don’t be fooled by its breezy ’60s-analog vintage pop sound.
Noun
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Each quilt comes with two matching shams to complete the look, and the bedding uses ultrasonic binding instead of stitching so the filling doesn’t shift.
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The set also comes with two matching pillow shams for a cohesive look.
Verb
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Appearance, though, can be deceiving, but luckily, this shed is still packed with smart features and a clever design that will keep all your belongings safe.
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Here, however, the joke is that appearances can be deceiving — or to be more specific, that trying to act like a character in a movie is a reckless, unwise thing to do.
Noun
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Charges included drug and gold trafficking, corruption, forgery and violations of exchange control regulations.
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This one is an all-in-one device that includes forgery-proof palm-vein recognition technology, a 2K HD camera, and a rear lock video screen.
Noun
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Rather than immediately abandon his nonsense, Trump soon began suggesting the birth certificate was a phony.
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At Dodger Stadium at the end of April, Crow-Amstrong also had to deal with the consequences of his actions — ripping Los Angeles Dodgers fans for being phonies in a Chicago magazine article that went viral.
Cite this Entry
“Hoax.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoax. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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