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
  • Same goes for Chock Chapple (6), because life’s too short to be typing that nonsense in a search field.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • What Trump is serving up is precisely the kind of paternalistic nonsense that women have fought against for the past century, now applied to nation states.
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of nonsense
Noun
  • By the late 19th century, something previously seen as garbage had become the foundation of a major new industry.
    — Edward D. Melillo, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Electricity is now available up to 20 hours per day, Damascus and other cities are lit up at night, garbage is being collected, and water supplies are returning to neighborhoods on a weekly basis.
    — Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of garbage
Noun
  • Pairing fruits with protein or healthy fats, like nuts or cheese, can help slow digestion and reduce blood sugar spikes.
    — Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Your doctor may also recommend eating more iron-rich foods, such as red meat, poultry and fish, as well as legumes, leafy greens, seeds and nuts.
    — Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of nuts
Noun
  • This bit of silliness was originally featured in the Win Column, the AJC’s daily sports newsletter.
    — Rahul Deshpande, AJC.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Its silliness, therefore, cannot have the emotional impact of the chicken-talk scene in Bocking, or the hot-dogs-as-fingers segment in the movie Everything Everywhere All at Once.
    — Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of silliness
Noun
  • This comes at the expense of no movement in the wrist, but to be fair, having the lightsaber pointed in any other direction would look rubbish.
    — Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • 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
Definition of rubbish
Noun
  • There's been some good, but, generally, it's just been sort of blah.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • That’s where all the problems come from—the shrinkage, the color, blah, blah, blah.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of blah
Noun
  • Learning that countless more people will lose their lives on account of his neglect, greed, and stupidity, he is pressed, reluctantly, into a most self-serving mode of damage control.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Nerdiest song for drummers This will probably come down to stupidity.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 22 Sep. 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 4 Oct. 2026.

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