1
as in hoax
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
tests showed that the "old" map of America was a cleverly made humbug
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
those UFO stories are a lot of humbug
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3
as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
one humbug after another claimed to be the miraculously surviving daughter of the Russian czar
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to fool
to cause to believe what is untrue
humbugged into believing that the bones were the skeleton of a prehistoric human being
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humbug
IEEE Spectrum, 16 Jan. 2024
Mean One features David Howard Thornton, known for playing Art the Clown in the Terrifier movies, as a familiar-looking green-skinned humbug in a Santa suit, living on a mountain high above the small town town of Newville.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 July 2023
Elizabeth Wolfe and Douglas S. Wood, CNN, 21 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for humbug
Noun
Well then, the author cannot be blamed for what might be called the worldwide humbug over the robots.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Jan. 2024
Mean One features David Howard Thornton, known for playing Art the Clown in the Terrifier movies, as a familiar-looking green-skinned humbug in a Santa suit, living on a mountain high above the small town town of Newville.
—Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 July 2023
Verb
In its verb form, to be humbugged is to be deceived or be the victim of a hoax.
—Elizabeth Wolfe and Douglas S. Wood, CNN, 21 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for humbug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbug
Noun
-
The hoax of further democratizing what was always implicitly democratic relies on sham logic.—
Armond White,
National Review,
27 June 2025
-
The Balloon Boy hoax would seem to have all the right elements for a revisitation: a hapless, alleged victim (6-year-old Falcon Heene), sky-high danger (the balloon reached about 7,000 feet), daringly duplicitous parents (Richard and Mayumi Heene), and a national profile that gripped audiences.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
All of this exploring and staying open and slow-burn nonsense left us with half the villa coupled up but stagnant — unwilling to stray but unwilling to grow — and the other half hopelessly single.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
25 June 2025
-
Sadly, the label would have none of that experimental nonsense.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2025
Noun
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Criminals that are able to gain access to passwords put up for sale on the dark web are able to use them for identify theft, fraud, and even blackmail.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
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The government push comes despite a Senate probe in May that revealed the labor program was fraught with problems including the commercial exploitation of job seekers, fraud, and poor working conditions overseas.—
Martin K.N Siele,
semafor.com,
20 June 2025
Verb
-
Even though baby clothes and newborn diapers feel too tiny to wreak havoc, don’t be fooled!—
Briana Feigon,
Architectural Digest,
19 June 2025
-
Perhaps that’s what fans were griping about last year — that Burns didn’t have it anymore and Slavin was papering over all those issues, enough to fool this model.—
Dom Luszczyszyn,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Noun
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The department said that U.S. consumers spend more than $100 billion every year on knock off goods, falling victim to approximately 20% of the counterfeits that are illegally sold worldwide.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
8 May 2025
-
This innovation protects consumers against counterfeits and provides essential guarantees in the resale market, ensuring that the products retain their value.—
Esade Business & Law School,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Use it to find and retrieve stray nuts or bolts in any crevice.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
-
Without that pollination, almond trees produce only 200 pounds of nuts per acre.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Official results of the election handed Lukashenko his sixth term in office but were denounced by the opposition and the West as a sham.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
22 June 2025
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Another sign that this search was viewed as a sham was that the most impressive outside candidate was the city manager of Norcross, Ga., an Atlanta suburb of 18,000 residents.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
21 June 2025
Verb
-
That was the crux of the latest Gmail attack, tricking users into sharing codes.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
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But in its most simple explanation, the Chiefs trick people.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
21 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humbug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbug. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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