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
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Recent Examples of hocus-pocus
Not to be out-fumed, Michelle Yeoh returns, in a burst of hocus-pocus semaphore and bird-attack coiffure, as the Wizard’s most ruthless ally.
—
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
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
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
In the years since bitcoin was introduced, digital payment systems that skip the hocus-pocus, like Venmo and Apple Pay, have become ubiquitous.
—Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2024
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Nov. 2025
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
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
In the years since bitcoin was introduced, digital payment systems that skip the hocus-pocus, like Venmo and Apple Pay, have become ubiquitous.
—Paul Krugman, The Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hocus-pocus
magic
Noun
-
There are moments when great artists are won over by the magic of certain cities and then forever change the way that the world sees them.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Jan. 2026
-
There’s an equally eerie and intriguing magic that comes with venturing into the wilderness beneath the light of a full moon.—
The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hocus-pocus.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hocus-pocus. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
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