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
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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
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
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
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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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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The program trains itself to follow your eyeballs and then tries to trick players by moving the circles.
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Those sites were designed to look real enough to trick people into entering credit card details, passwords or other sensitive information.
Noun
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Maclean’s work traffics in deep fakes and glitch aesthetics, rainbow cuteness and the tropes of pulp—but these are set against violent dystopias and a world of cruelties borne, especially, by women (see her 2018 video Make Me Up as an example).
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Thirty-four years having passed since the last go-round, we are treated to such modern advances as catfishing, drones, deep fakes, social media and pushy true-crime podcasters.
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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The thing is, a lot of people have a talent for deceiving the public.
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Park and weather officials alike emphasize to Grand Canyon visitors that hiking conditions can be deceiving.
Noun
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In December 2024, Mangione pleaded not guilty to state murder, weapons and forgery charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
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Troupis, Chesebro and Roman face 11 felony forgery charges which are each punishable by up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
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 26 Jun. 2026.
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