1
as in cheats
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
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2
as in frauds
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
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Recent Examples of hoaxers
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
Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoaxers
Noun
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Migrant welfare cheats exposed!—
The Hill,
The Hill,
5 May 2026
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Iran lies, cheats, blusters and bullies.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Man Who Stole Portugal is inspired by the titular true crime book by Murray Teigh Bloom about Alves dos Reis, who pulled off one of the largest frauds in history against the Bank of Portugal in 1925.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
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Four artworks recovered from the 1MDB scandal have gone on public view in Malaysia for the first time, offering a modest but pointed reminder of one of the largest financial frauds in modern history.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
6 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
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But my collection intentionally ignored the fraudulent exploits of billionaire heirs, tax dodgers and corporate magnates — defense contracts, government lobbying, bank accounts in Switzerland, shell companies in Panama, citizenship of Antigua and political asylum in London.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Once word got out about the reports in Ohio, so did the obvious fakes.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
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McKenna is extremely shifty with the puck, blending shoulder fakes into his playmaking.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
Noun
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Despite their aging heart, the sharks seemed quite able to get around—some of the specimens in the study were collected by longline fishing in Greenland waters, suggesting the sharks could find bait and successfully capture it.—
Jeanna Bryner,
Scientific American,
4 May 2026
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Various species of sharks, some of which are endangered, hauled on shore at dawn by commercial fishermen at the Tanjung Luar port in East Lombok, Indonesia, last June.—
Jay Ganglani,
NBC news,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoaxers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoaxers. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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