hokum

noun

ˈhō-kəm How to pronounce hokum (audio)
Definition of hokumnext
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense a movie about the disaster that's pure Hollywood hokum

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hokum What finally holds all the hokum together is Pitt. — Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor, 25 June 2025 Is this common household spice really an effective tool in the garden, or is this just influencer hokum? — Leanne Potts, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 June 2025 From the foothills of the Berkshires arises a venerable strain of American madness, the poetry of hokum—the old weird America of medicine shows and travelling circuses and carnivals. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025 In past case studies of argyria, a common source is hokum therapies promoted by naturopaths and their ilk. — Ars Technica, 10 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hokum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hokum
  1. nonsense
  2. garbage
  3. nuts
  4. silliness
  5. rubbish
  6. blah
  7. stupidity
Noun
  • Until recently, that would have sounded like absolute nonsense.
    — Zach Harper, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • There weren’t meetings with executives about tone and mood and all this nonsense.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Definition of nonsense
Noun
  • Building a new garbage incinerator plant now would cost Miami-Dade County $3 billion under a private development deal that’s facing criticism by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, according to a recent memo.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
  • The notice of violation was issued on July 12, after the agency received more than 40 public complaints of rotten, sour, garbage-type odors in the area.
    — Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026
Definition of garbage
Noun
  • California is significant because the state supplies nearly half of the vegetables and more than three-quarters of the fruits and nuts eaten in the United States.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 10 July 2026
  • Cashews and walnuts also contribute, alongside brazil nuts and pine nuts.
    — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson July 9, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026
Definition of nuts
Noun
  • Minions & Monsters kept its familiar chaos intact, but its turn toward sentiment may have left behind some of the pure silliness that built its core audience at home.
    — David Deal, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
  • Karaoke, whether at a public bar or in one of the private rooms available in most cities, is commitment-free silliness and one of the easiest ways to shake off a long week.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026
Definition of silliness
Noun
  • Only construction waste will be accepted at the landfill such as, brush and rubbish, concrete, brick, rock, wood, paper, plastics, cardboard and roofing shingles and tiles.
    — Elizabeth Campbell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
  • So where does the rubbish come from?
    — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 8 June 2026
Definition of rubbish
Noun
  • What used to be a forum for original, quirky, clever remarks by the Daily News’ varied community of smartypants has turned into a gridlock of repetitious venting of old, dumb blah.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 10 July 2026
  • Frankly, turning it off and listening to the soundbar in normal stereo sounds flat, uninteresting, muddy, and just blah after getting used to SuperWide.
    — Joe Salas July 07, New Atlas, 8 July 2026
Definition of blah
Noun
  • Here are the three reasons a good employee sits on a great AI discovery, and none of them is stupidity.
    — Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • The stupidity of losing his car was one thing; the cruelty of forcing her to make that choice was quite another.
    — Emily Ruskovich, The Atlantic, 7 July 2026
Definition of stupidity

Browse Nearby Words

hokeypokey
hokum
hold
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Cite this Entry

“Hokum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hokum. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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