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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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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The world is full of bad actors—cheats, liars, tyrants, sickos—who are, ultimately, mere human beings; at least, this was how rationality would have it.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
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Others might feel the author cheats here, leaving it up to the reader to decide.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Once recruited, victims were allegedly forced to conduct romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investment schemes and other online frauds targeting victims abroad.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
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The frauds have grown nearly in lockstep with the growth of the industry.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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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The overwhelming motive for the early fakes was to provide entertainment — about three-quarters of the images in the exhibition were created for this purpose, Rooseboom said.—
Lianne Kolirin,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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The flurry of non-consensual deep fakes produced on the platform prompted outrage and concern across the globe.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Many experts had thought sharks didn’t exist in the frigid waters of Antarctica before this sleeper shark lumbered warily and briefly into the spotlight of a video camera, researcher Alan Jamieson said this week.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
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Climate change and warming oceans could potentially be driving sharks to the Southern Hemisphere's colder waters, but there was limited data on range changes near Antarctica because of the region's remoteness, Kyne said.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoaxers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoaxers. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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