as in counterfeits
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 tricks
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 hoaxes
JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions — collectively known as hoaxes.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
Despite the relief of being safe, the effects of these hoaxes endure.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2025
In turn, the Koch brothers supported climate denial think tanks, while Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch’s Fox News nightly broadcasts worked overtime to convince Americans that both climate change and COVID-19 were hoaxes or that vaccines were ineffective or unsafe.
—Michael E. Mann, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
While these hoaxes mostly ended up being false alarms, experts note that these types of hoaxes are not only a serious crime with substantial penalties for those involved but can also put first responders and bystanders at risk.
—ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
The wave of threats that canceled classes and put multiple historically Black colleges and universities on lockdown are believed to be hoaxes, federal officials said.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Treating it with the full weight of law enforcement from local patrol officers to the FBI working across borders is the only way to prevent one of these hoaxes from ending in tragedy.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2025
In almost all the cases, police and administrators said the reports were hoaxes or swatting calls, which is when someone uses temporary cellphone numbers and voice-cloaking apps to create havoc.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
Noun
Forgeries, hoaxes, and other types of literary fakery have preoccupied Havens, a rare books and manuscripts curator at the university’s Stern Center for the History of the Book, for many years now.
—JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
Frauds, swindles, cons, scams, and deceptions — collectively known as hoaxes.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
Despite the relief of being safe, the effects of these hoaxes endure.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2025
In turn, the Koch brothers supported climate denial think tanks, while Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch’s Fox News nightly broadcasts worked overtime to convince Americans that both climate change and COVID-19 were hoaxes or that vaccines were ineffective or unsafe.
—Michael E. Mann, Time, 17 Sep. 2025
While these hoaxes mostly ended up being false alarms, experts note that these types of hoaxes are not only a serious crime with substantial penalties for those involved but can also put first responders and bystanders at risk.
—ABC News, 12 Sep. 2025
The wave of threats that canceled classes and put multiple historically Black colleges and universities on lockdown are believed to be hoaxes, federal officials said.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025
Treating it with the full weight of law enforcement from local patrol officers to the FBI working across borders is the only way to prevent one of these hoaxes from ending in tragedy.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2025
In almost all the cases, police and administrators said the reports were hoaxes or swatting calls, which is when someone uses temporary cellphone numbers and voice-cloaking apps to create havoc.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoaxes
Noun
-
While fake goods have exchanged hands in informal markets since ancient times, the growth of online marketplaces has contributed to the rise in counterfeits because of how easy online shopping and selling have become.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,Paige Tortorelli,
CNBC,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Marq Vision was cofounded in 2020 by Mark Lee, a former McKinsey consultant who holds a Doctor of Law from Harvard, to identify counterfeits in online listings using AI.—
Zinnia Lee,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Mulching too early traps heat and tricks plant roots to remain active and produce new growth.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
8 Nov. 2025
-
An unexpected, shocking tax bill owed after a scammer tricks you into draining a retirement fund to hand over your money to them.—
Susan Tompor,
Freep.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That became a clear problem for an identification credential that is expected to be universal in a world where fakes are commonplace.—
Elliot Mann,
Twin Cities,
27 Oct. 2025
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Numerous fakes — most bearing watermarks for OpenAI’s text-to-video model Sora — have appeared online showing fake scenarios like severe flooding, images of sharks and people partying.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
One accomplice in the scheme was a 74-year-old man from Rhineland-Palatinate who produced counterfeit expert reports attesting to the authenticity of the forgeries, investigators say.—
NPR,
NPR,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Most successful forgers were smart and creative people, and many of their forgeries were consummate, even ingenious.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The fragmentary Ni 12501 tablet from the Early Dynastic III period of Mesopotamia breaks off when Fox deceives the inhabitants of the netherworld in his quest to retrieve the storm god Ishkur.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Givenchy couture atelier created four iterations of the little black dress—one original and three reproductions.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The collection included reproductions of uniforms worn by each profession and Johnson’s modernized interpretations, enhanced with waterproofing, durability and thermal regulation.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Following the lead from state officials to raise recruitment numbers, the department lowered its physical requirements to join the academy, according to copies of the standards from 2016 and 2024.—
David Ferrara,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
3 Nov. 2025
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In the wake of two 2024 documentaries about Stewart, copies had become scarce, sparking bidding wars on resale websites.—
Hannah Goldfield,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoaxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoaxes. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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