hoax

verb

\ ˈhōks

hoaxed; hoaxing; hoaxes

Definition of hoax

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

: to trick into believing or accepting as genuine something false and often preposterous were hoaxed by the website

hoax

noun

Definition of hoax (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from hoax Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about hoax

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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

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

False news articles were deliberately spread across our feeds to hoax us. — Joanna Stern, WSJ, "Facebook Portal Non-Review: Why I Didn’t Put Facebook’s Camera in My Home," 8 Nov. 2018 The effort, dubbed #ThinkBeforeYouPost, reminds would-be pranksters that hoax threats are not a joke and could result in federal or state charges. — Karen Kucher, sandiegouniontribune.com, "FBI launches campaign to 'think before you post' hoax threats," 10 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Their lawsuit alleges that Jones has profited from spreading the story that the shooting was a hoax. — David Owens, courant.com, "Connecticut judge sanctions Alex Jones for on-air Infowars tirade and threats after child pornography was discovered attached to emails sent to him," 19 June 2019 The families of several of the 20 children and six educators killed in the 2012 shooting are suing Jones, Infowars and others for promoting a theory that the massacre was a hoax. — Washington Post, "The Latest: Alex Jones sanctioned in Sandy Hook lawsuit," 18 June 2019 Jones is being sued by the families for spreading the false conspiracy theory that the shooting, which claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults, is a hoax. — Jason Silverstein, CBS News, "Alex Jones sanctioned by court after child porn dispute with Sandy Hook lawyers," 18 June 2019 That reduces the likelihood that followers of conspiracy peddlers like Jones will be recruited into his hoax and begin harassing victims. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Three ways YouTube could fight harassment," 6 June 2019 Smollett was written out of the final episodes of Season 5 after he was arrested and charged with filing a false police report in connection with a January incident that Chicago law enforcement authorities said was a hoax. — Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY, "'Empire' co-creator Lee Daniels says Jussie Smollett will not return for final season," 5 June 2019 In the wake of the controversy and anger, the city filed a civil suit against Smollett to recover the costs of investigating his alleged hoax. — Eric Zorn, chicagotribune.com, "Thanks to Kim Foxx, the Jussie Smollett story will not die," 3 June 2019 The New York Times’ Kevin Roose has been regularly tweeting the most viral stories and memes of the day, many of which are deceptive or outright hoaxes. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Four ways the internet changed the midterm elections," 7 Nov. 2018 This time, the hoax came in the form of a Photoshopped direct message allegedly from James that said the n-word. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "James Charles Addresses Racist Fake Screenshots Leaked on Twitter," 15 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hoax.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.