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
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026
In a world where an AI hoax could easily be promulgated across social media, or in which conspiracy theorists would likely attack a real discovery, the protocols are intended to encourage best practice and safeguard astronomers when the media spotlight falls on them.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 9 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 fact remains that 30 years ago, before the Texas Air National Guard fiasco, among so many other fake-news hoaxes, 60 Minutes had more than 20 million viewers a week.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026
In a world where an AI hoax could easily be promulgated across social media, or in which conspiracy theorists would likely attack a real discovery, the protocols are intended to encourage best practice and safeguard astronomers when the media spotlight falls on them.
—Keith Cooper, Space.com, 9 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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The caliber of those items ranges from counterfeit to museum-quality.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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To me, the result didn’t taste like a cheap counterfeit but a breakthrough.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Posts from other Knicks fans say the user tried tricking them as well.—
Tim McNicholas,
CBS News,
12 June 2026
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These websites closely resemble legitimate ticketing and checkout platforms and can allow scammers to steal log-in credentials, personal information and credit card numbers and trick you into sending in payments.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Noun
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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.—
Robert Lloyd,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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McKenna is extremely shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Kurt's key takeaways Rick's story is a tough reminder that scams can look polished enough to fool careful people.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
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Busch wasn’t fooled when San Francisco Giants lefty reliever Erik Miller hung a 1-1 slider over the plate in the fifth inning.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
Noun
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The matching shams have an envelope closure to stay put, and the duvet cover has a button closure with corner ties inside to keep your favorite duvet securely in place all night.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
14 June 2026
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The five-piece set includes a quilt and four pillow shams, all made from ultra-soft, skin-friendly microfiber designed for year-round use.—
Better Homes & Gardens,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Subscriptions started at $88 per week and included almost 300 templates for fake websites designed to deceive customers, a dashboard that allowed criminals to monitor their campaigns, a discussion forum where users could find collaborators and receive support, and keylogging capabilities.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
13 June 2026
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No, your eyes do not deceive you.—
Matt Reigle OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
13 June 2026
Noun
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The rest have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, fraud and forgery charges.—
Jacques Billeaud,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
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There was the friend who bought the wine, the person who made the fake ID, the clerk who may or may not have looked at the forgery before ringing up the sale.—
Thomas Lake,
AJC.com,
4 June 2026
Noun
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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.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
22 May 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 19 Jun. 2026.
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