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
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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
Armond White, National Review, 28 Mar. 2025
On Monday, Hegseth also attacked Goldberg and suggested that The Atlantic editor-in-chief trafficked in hoaxes.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
Mimansa Verma, Quartz, 30 Mar. 2023
Related:Teen jailed after bomb threat hoax AirDropped to American Airlines passengers in El Paso The passenger was traveling with a companion and both were unharmed, though their clothes were soiled with food and wine.
—Dallas News, 2 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for hoax
Noun
The final tragedy is that Maria Schneider’s indelible Jeanne must compete with ideologues who exploit her image to achieve a film culture equivalent to the Christine Blasey Ford hoax.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 Mar. 2025
On Monday, Hegseth also attacked Goldberg and suggested that The Atlantic editor-in-chief trafficked in hoaxes.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Mar. 2025
Verb
Advertisement How aspiring Indian entrepreneurs and students were hoaxed in the quest for funding The World Startup Convention was originally scheduled for Jan. 14-16., before it was postponed to March 24-26.
—Mimansa Verma, Quartz, 30 Mar. 2023
Related:Teen jailed after bomb threat hoax AirDropped to American Airlines passengers in El Paso The passenger was traveling with a companion and both were unharmed, though their clothes were soiled with food and wine.
—Dallas News, 2 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for hoax
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoax
Noun
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Postal service inspectors have worked to uncover counterfeits for so long that the National Postal Museum hosted an entire exhibition this year on the topic of baseball memorabilia fraud.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
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In February, the agency seized 1,815 shipments containing over $525 million worth of counterfeits.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Deceptive tactics trick users into providing biometric data unknowingly.—
Mohamed Lazzouni,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
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The light from screens can trick your brain into staying awake.—
Lindsay Curtis,
Health,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Fran Drescher also spoke out in favor of the bill, explaining how deep fakes have affected her image.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2025
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What makes a painting by a master so much better than a really good fake?—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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That was probably a terrible decision, in fairness, but Meazza responded by faking a shot to fool a defender, then teed up Piola to score.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
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While the towering shoes may seem intimidating, don’t let their large, often chunky heels fool you: PLatform shoes are among the most comfortable heels in any wardrobe.—
Nina Derwin,
Glamour,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The set features an all-over stitched diamond pattern with neatly finished edges, curved corners, and matching shams for a cohesive look.—
Miles Walls,
Better Homes & Gardens,
29 Apr. 2025
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Your order wouldn’t be complete without matching shams.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Jurors found Peters guilty in August for using someone else’s security badge to give an expert affiliated with My Pillow chief executive Mike Lindell access to the Mesa County election system and deceiving other officials about that person’s identity.—
Colleen Slevin,
Twin Cities,
22 Apr. 2025
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Stribling tried to deceive officers by saying Bailei was shot in a robbery, The Detroit News reported.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Related article The husband-and-wife forgers who fooled the art market — and made millions The team was focused not only on thefts, from homes, galleries or archeological sites, but also forgery and trafficking rings.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
27 Apr. 2025
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Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state murder and terrorism charges in New York, as well as forgery and weapons charges in Pennsylvania.—
Elijah Westbrook, Ali Bauman,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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For a Gen X-er raised on movies that skewered phonies and wannabes, the thought of being a poser was, in the end, far more offensive to his sensibilities than being potentially bland.—
Rachel Syme,
The New Yorker,
23 Dec. 2024
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The answer is important because being a phony is hard work.—
LaRae Quy,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Hoax.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoax. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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