Synonyms of hocus-pocus

hocus-pocus

noun

ˌhō-kəs-ˈpō-kəs 

as in magic

the art or skill of performing tricks or illusions for entertainment

with some well-crafted hocus-pocus, the illusionist made the dove disappear from his hands

Synonyms & Similar Words

• magic
• deception
• sleight of hand
• legerdemain
• prestidigitation
• conjuring
• trickery
• deceptiveness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hocus-pocus

No more hocus-pocus putting taxpayers on the hook for some sketchy deal that may or may not show a positive return in 15 years, if lucky. — U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

In both Joss Whedon's theatrical version and Zack Snyder's longer cut, Clark Kent is resurrected by some cosmic hocus-pocus housed in an alien Mother Box. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 July 2025

The national security issue is just hocus-pocus — there isn't anything to it, really. — Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 31 Jan. 2025

So the hocus-pocus of GPT halting on my name is a rare but conspicuous leaf on a much larger tree of model control. — Jonathan L. Zittrain, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2024

One of the important things Conclave does is to slowly peel back archaic layers to reveal what all the hocus-pocus represents in this day and age. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2024

That's essentially what predictive AI does, minus the mystical hocus-pocus. — Bernard Marr, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024