as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
I think we've been hornswoggled by that carnival barker
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hornswoggle
Verb
-
Nope, that's not your eyes deceiving you.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
15 Mar. 2026 -
Months after the girl had died, a DCF worker investigating a complaint related to Torres-García’s younger sister was deceived by the children’s mother during a video chat with a person the child’s mother asked to impersonate the child, according to the agency.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But savvy marketing campaigns and partnerships with major employers have tricked consumers into turning back to payday loans.—
Christopher Greenwood,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Each filing season brings new tactics designed to trick taxpayers into revealing personal information or claiming refunds they are not entitled to receive.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But don’t let that demure and goofy personality fool you!—
Heide Janssen,
Oc Register,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Tatum then isolated against the Spurs big man, fooled him with an up-fake, finished at the rim and smiled after being shoved to the ground.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Hornswoggle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hornswoggle. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
