hoax

verb

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\ 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

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 After trying to hoax journalists with Project Veritas, Loomer moved to direct confrontations with public figures in recent years, disrupting interviews and news conferences. — Terry Spencer, sun-sentinel.com, 19 Aug. 2020 After trying to hoax journalists with Project Veritas, Loomer moved to direct confrontations with public figures in recent years, disrupting interviews and news conferences. — Terry Spencer, orlandosentinel.com, 19 Aug. 2020 False news articles were deliberately spread across our feeds to hoax us. — Joanna Stern, WSJ, 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, 10 June 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The story’s about a kidnapping that police in Vallejo, California, initially said was a hoax. — Brendan O'meara, Longreads, 10 May 2022 Doesn’t snow in Washington prove climate change is a hoax? — Michael Lynch, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2022 There's heated language of climate change being a hoax and a reference to one brave author who has written a book that exposes the lies—but his ideas are being suppressed. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, 25 Apr. 2022 Jones, among other falsehoods, had long claimed the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that killed 20 first-graders and six educators was a hoax. — Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2022 Jones has lost defamation lawsuits in Texas and Connecticut over his comments that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was a hoax. — NBC News, 20 Apr. 2022 Alex Jones' company Infowars has filed for bankruptcy protection after the conspiracy theorist lost defamation lawsuits over his comments that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was a hoax. — Dave Collins, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2022 Infowars filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as the website's founder and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones faces defamation lawsuits over his comments that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax. — Chron, 18 Apr. 2022 Infowars and other media assets backed by far-right radio host Alex Jones filed for bankruptcy after he was found liable for falsely claiming the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. — Andrew Scurria, WSJ, 18 Apr. 2022 See More

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.