1
as in cheats
a dishonest person who uses clever means to cheat others out of something of value
if it sounds too good to be true, you're probably dealing with a hoaxer in a boiler room somewhere
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2
as in frauds
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
his college roommate turned out be a complete hoaxer and not the son of a wealthy shipping tycoon he said he was
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Recent Examples of hoaxers
The film follows a Bigfoot hoax that goes horribly wrong in the middle of an actual Sasquatch hot spot, leading to a chaotic struggle between the hoaxers, investigators, and a supernatural force that defies explanation.
—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
18 June 2026
Officials have received multiple letters claiming to be ransom notes—and seem to have spent much of their time attempting to discern which, if any, might be authentic, and which might be the work of hoaxers.
—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
18 June 2026
Officials have received multiple letters claiming to be ransom notes—and seem to have spent much of their time attempting to discern which, if any, might be authentic, and which might be the work of hoaxers.
—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoaxers
Noun
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Migrant welfare cheats exposed!
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Iran lies, cheats, blusters and bullies.
Noun
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Their only inheritance is a legacy of two-bit crime that inspires them to run increasingly audacious frauds.
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Lan, 69, built a sprawling real estate empire of luxury homes and commercial properties before she was accused of one of the biggest frauds in global history.
Noun
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Ukraine faces severe personnel shortages with around 200,000 military desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers, threatening its ability to sustain the war against Russia’s 2022 invasion.
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But my collection intentionally ignored the fraudulent exploits of billionaire heirs, tax dodgers and corporate magnates — defense contracts, government lobbying, bank accounts in Switzerland, shell companies in Panama, citizenship of Antigua and political asylum in London.
Noun
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The Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services has warned that people can easily obtain fakes; in 2010, Puerto Rico invalidated all its existing birth certificates, citing rampant fraud and identity theft.
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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.
Noun
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But behind that iconic shape is a life history strategy that makes the species especially vulnerable to fishing pressure; these sharks grow slowly, mature late and produce relatively few young over their lifetime.
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The group stage would be a series of blowouts, the sharks would devour the minnows.
Cite this Entry
“Hoaxers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoaxers. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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