as in fooling
to cause to believe what is untrue
humbugged into believing that the bones were the skeleton of a prehistoric human being
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for humbugging
Verb
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But Baio says Kassotis has been fooling people for years.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026 -
Indeed, depth would only get in the way of the plot, which is primarily concerned with fooling you and fooling you again.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The peach-plum gradient gown is the creation of Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, whose high-fantasy sculptural gowns emphasize movement and eye-tricking form, often to gravity-defying effect.—
Jacqui Palumbo,
CNN Money,
5 Mar. 2026
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Or, in other words, tricking them by holding up a sign.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Defamation, which refers to a false statement of fact that is reputationally damaging, and false light, which is a technically true statement but is presented in a highly deceiving fashion, are other possible legal actions.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
9 Mar. 2026
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Looks, too, can be deceiving for those not on the grounds.—
Douglas Robson,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There are also cool maps on the local prevalence of certain health conditions, from arthritis and asthma to cancer and high cholesterol to diabetes and depression to — not kidding here — where people have lost all their teeth.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026
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Literally toxic lesbians — kidding.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Humbugging.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbugging. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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