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
Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
There is an affordability crisis that is not a hoax.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The Hill, 25 July 2025
The Jussie Smollett hoax hate crime attack saga is set to be explored in a new documentary.
—Peter White, Deadline, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoax
Noun
Now, another hoax is tugging on the heartstrings of animal lovers.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Feb. 2026
There is an affordability crisis that is not a hoax.
—Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
Robby Soave delivers radar on Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard suggesting that President Obama’s administration orchestrated Russiagate collusion hoax in 2016.
—The Hill, 25 July 2025
The Jussie Smollett hoax hate crime attack saga is set to be explored in a new documentary.
—Peter White, Deadline, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoax
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoax
Noun
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Offering counterfeit, potentially dangerous, products to shoppers through third-party sellers on the marketplace opens Walmart up to liability and could erode the customer trust at the core of its brand.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,
CNBC,
10 Feb. 2026
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Each item passes through a multi-step process combining advanced imaging, database cross-references, and final expert verification, a hybrid system that eliminates bias, minimizes error, and safeguards agains increasingly sophisticated counterfeits.—
Tanya Benedicto Klich,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The scam reportedly tricked Russian drone operators into giving away the location of their Starlink terminals, allowing Ukrainian artillery and drones to target them.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Or, in other words, tricking them by holding up a sign.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Does Scream 7 want to honor the 30-year legacy of the franchise, which would explain the AI deep fakes?—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
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Lamont said his conservation with Porat focused on striking a balance between driving innovation and addressing concerns around algorithmic bias, deep fakes and job loss.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Don’t be fooled by the name; despite its slouchy appearance, this shoulder purse can fit a laptop, a notebook, a small makeup bag, and more.—
Caroline Hughes,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Feb. 2026
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Stallings hung the breaking ball and Bader wasn’t fooled.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Pair with matching shams for a complete bedscape.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
23 Feb. 2026
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When one of their victims realized the sham and sought legitimate legal counsel, the defendants sent him messages threatening deportation, court documents show.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After the remaining contestants voted out Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski and Eric Nam, Higgins was blindsided to discover her close ally, Rob Rausch, was deceiving her all along.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
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In addition, the complaint alleges that Walmart deceived customers by falsely claiming that 100% of customer tips would go to drivers.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Jaquez Lewis, a Longmont Democrat, was convicted in January of three counts of forgery and one count of attempting to influence a public servant.—
The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
28 Feb. 2026
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Jaquez Lewis was charged with one count of attempting to influence a public servant and three counts of forgery in 2025.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The men who flocked to spring training sites were called scabs, cast as anti-union phonies.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2026
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Many of the top comments underneath a Rumble video teasing Bongino’s comeback painted him as a phony, as did some of the comments that viewers left under Monday’s show.—
Jon Allsop,
New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoax.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoax. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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