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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word humbug different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of humbug are counterfeit, fake, fraud, imposture, and sham. While all these words mean "a thing made to seem other than it is," humbug suggests elaborate pretense usually so flagrant as to be transparent.

creating publicity by foisting humbugs on a gullible public

When would counterfeit be a good substitute for humbug?

Although the words counterfeit and humbug have much in common, counterfeit applies especially to the close imitation of something valuable.

20-dollar bills that were counterfeits

When might fake be a better fit than humbug?

The synonyms fake and humbug are sometimes interchangeable, but fake implies an imitation of or substitution for the genuine but does not necessarily imply dishonesty.

these jewels are fakes; the real ones are in the vault

When can fraud be used instead of humbug?

The words fraud and humbug are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, fraud usually implies a deliberate perversion of the truth.

the diary was exposed as a fraud

When could imposture be used to replace humbug?

The words imposture and humbug can be used in similar contexts, but imposture applies to any situation in which a spurious object or performance is passed off as genuine.

their claim of environmental concern is an imposture

When is sham a more appropriate choice than humbug?

While in some cases nearly identical to humbug, sham applies to fraudulent imitation of a real thing or action.

condemned the election as a sham

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 humbug
Noun
Plump four-poster beds are covered in rich floral fabrics or set against wallpaper patterned like humbugs. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Dec. 2023 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
  • Roundly condemned as an archaeological hoax by scholars, Inghirami undertook to publish a 1,000-page defense of his forgery.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 16 Oct. 2025
  • No one who was ever in the house, who investigated it, ever called it a hoax.
    Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Lisha speaks nonsense — or is that because she is concussed?
    Andy Hoglund, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Explaining exactly why this particular trend, like so many confounding memes and viral nonsense, will travel unbelievably far on the web, and elsewhere, is as easy as painting wind.
    Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • As investigators dig deeper, more disturbing secrets emerge, including financial fraud, addiction, mysterious deaths and corruption.
    Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Western Alliance also is alleging fraud in its bad loans.
    Kevin Stankiewicz,Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • As Rolling Stone has previously reported, bogus images of classic rockers in hospitals or singing at the graves of other rockers have flooded the internet — fooling some fans in the process and provoking laughs in just as many.
    David Browne, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Ultimately, the quarterback fooled the Raiders and proceeded to take the snap and get the Chiefs a first down.
    Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The crime drama follows a small-time Chinatown luxury counterfeit dealer who enters a dangerous black-market underworld in order to fund a life of suburban respectability for her family.
    Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
  • While fake goods have exchanged hands in informal markets since ancient times, the growth of online marketplaces has contributed to the rise in counterfeits because of how easy online shopping and selling have become.
    Gabrielle Fonrouge,Paige Tortorelli, CNBC, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Don’t use mulch made from black walnut wood, leaves, or nuts near your orchard.
    Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Oct. 2025
  • So in 2017, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases formally recommended parents introduce children under the age of 3 to allergens like nuts.
    Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Included in the set are shams for your pillows and a duvet.
    Christopher Murray may earn a commission if you buy through our referral links. This content was created by a team that works independently from the Fox newsroom., FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The set includes two shams and is available in eight pattern choices.
    Sheri Kaz, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Maybe not that play exactly, just the fact USC would try to trick Notre Dame because the Trojans weren’t going to beat them conventionally.
    Pete Sampson, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Poor Rosemary is tricked by those closest to her through what is quite literally a hellish pregnancy, culminating in an unforgettable ending and an enduring performance from a wide-eyed Farrow.
    Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Humbug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbug. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

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