1
as in cheat
a dishonest person who uses clever means to cheat others out of something of value
if it sounds too good to be true, you're probably dealing with a hoaxer in a boiler room somewhere
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
his college roommate turned out be a complete hoaxer and not the son of a wealthy shipping tycoon he said he was
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hoaxer
The hoaxer is asking for crypto donations.
—
Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
Officials have received multiple letters claiming to be ransom notes—and seem to have spent much of their time attempting to discern which, if any, might be authentic, and which might be the work of hoaxers.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
Officials have received multiple letters claiming to be ransom notes—and seem to have spent much of their time attempting to discern which, if any, might be authentic, and which might be the work of hoaxers.
—Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoaxer
Noun
-
Consider this your summer styling cheat code — and thank Selena Gomez later.—
Jeaneen Russell,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
-
Surprising but inevitable is the key to great writing, and Nick Cage is the human cheat code.—
Oren Uziel,
IndieWire,
1 June 2026
Noun
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Americans for Prosperity sponsored a striking display in the DECC’s Pioneer Hall, demonstrating the scale of the state’s fraud losses with faux $100 bills stacked in volumes that would total $2 billion.—
Jay Gabler,
Twin Cities,
30 May 2026
-
The authors then matched high-fraud ZIP codes to areas with fast-appreciating home prices.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Ukraine faces severe personnel shortages with around 200,000 military desertions and 2 million draft-dodgers, threatening its ability to sustain the war against Russia’s 2022 invasion.—
Kirsten Grieshaber,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Almost all other passengers dine at the Britannia Restaurant, and there’s also a buffet restaurant serving international cuisine, with options for vegans, vegetarians and dairy dodgers.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
McKenna is extremely shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Noun
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The biggest distinction between the two species is the dusky shark is leaner and has and has a long upper caudal tail, in which the upper lobe of its tail is longer than the bottom, Chisholm noted.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
1 June 2026
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The shark, likely an extinct mako species related to today’s great white, appears to have targeted the whale’s head, possibly attempting to access the fat-rich tissues used in echolocation.—
Melissa Cristina Márquez,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
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The controversial $500,000 portion of PFAS money allocation scheme is a sham and undermines the public trust (Tamarac finds a $500,000 slush fund, editorial, May 21).—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 May 2026
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This quilt and shams set is reversible, lightweight, high-quality, and breathable.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
The decade ended tumultuously, with the Osmond family’s fortune drained by a series of swindlers and grifters.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
21 Apr. 2026
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The New York Times later reported that Bankman-Fried was placed in solitary confinement because the crypto swindler violated the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ rules.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The actors are perfectly cast, starting with Marmaï’s likable Antoine, the only player here not being the deceiver.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
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The film tells the true and twisted tale of a deceiver of land and folk, who, defying her birth as a woman, comported herself as a man and committed many a wicked deed.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoaxer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoaxer. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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