as in counterfeit
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
the skeleton of the purported ancient hominid turned out to be a hoax
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to trick
to cause to believe what is untrue
a skilled forger who hoaxed the art world into believing that the paintings were long-lost Vermeers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hoax
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
Kash was critical to exposing the Russian collusion hoax and bringing truth to the American people.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Mimansa Verma, Quartz, 30 Mar. 2023
Related:Teen jailed after bomb threat hoax AirDropped to American Airlines passengers in El Paso The passenger was traveling with a companion and both were unharmed, though their clothes were soiled with food and wine.
—Dallas News, 2 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for hoax
Noun
That 2019 prank also made headlines, with the company denouncing the sign as a hoax.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Jan. 2025
Kash was critical to exposing the Russian collusion hoax and bringing truth to the American people.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
Verb
Advertisement How aspiring Indian entrepreneurs and students were hoaxed in the quest for funding The World Startup Convention was originally scheduled for Jan. 14-16., before it was postponed to March 24-26.
—Mimansa Verma, Quartz, 30 Mar. 2023
Related:Teen jailed after bomb threat hoax AirDropped to American Airlines passengers in El Paso The passenger was traveling with a companion and both were unharmed, though their clothes were soiled with food and wine.
—Dallas News, 2 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for hoax
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoax
Noun
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How will products be vetted to detect counterfeits?—
Fernando Castellanos,
Forbes,
10 Jan. 2025
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But buyers should be careful when purchasing tickets online and be wary of counterfeits.—
Barbara A. Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Jan. 2025
Verb
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That difference between them proves rather problematic when Stuart tricks Ted into merging their firm with another that's coincidentally run by Ted's ex, Samantha (Rachelle Goulding), and then cuts his partner out of the deal.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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Phishing emails, malware-laden attachments and fraudulent schemes now lurk within spam messages, tricking unsuspecting users into clicking malicious links, revealing sensitive information or even infecting their devices with ransomware and spyware.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
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But her choice ultimately comes down to a question of authenticity; the rich author is a liar and a fake, while the pickle man is the salt of the earth.—
Jason Bailey,
New York Times,
14 Feb. 2025
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Gabriela Jaquez could be moved with a screen, freshman Kendall Dudley bit on Watkins’ fakes, and Janiah Barker wasn’t disciplined enough to keep track of Watkins’ movement.—
Sabreena Merchant,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Lohse even managed to fool historian Jonathan Petropoulos, who is at the center of the documentary, and spent years investigating Lohse, only to be tricked by him.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
20 Feb. 2025
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Was their advocacy for new energy sources just a ploy to fool their constituents and get reelected?—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The breakdown of democracy in the United States will not give rise to a classic dictatorship in which elections are a sham and the opposition is locked up, exiled, or killed.—
STEVEN LEVITSKY,
Foreign Affairs,
11 Feb. 2025
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The set includes a queen comforter and two matching pillow shams to create a cohesive look in the bedroom.—
Kelsey Fredricks,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Minor leaguers and players trying to make the club out of spring can put up gaudy (deceiving) numbers against dubious competition.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
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The viewer may feel deceived for a moment, but most people know that trash talk is par for the course among sports fandoms.—
Emily Forlini,
PCMAG,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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For example, Sentinel is great for analyzing visual manipulation and AI forgery, whereas DeepWare helps analyze video and audio communication.—
Essence,
Essence,
14 Feb. 2025
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Luigi Mangione, 26, faces 11 counts in New York, including one of first-degree murder and two of second-degree murder, along with other weapon and forgery charges in Thompson’s killing, according to an indictment.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
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For a Gen X-er raised on movies that skewered phonies and wannabes, the thought of being a poser was, in the end, far more offensive to his sensibilities than being potentially bland.—
Rachel Syme,
The New Yorker,
23 Dec. 2024
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The answer is important because being a phony is hard work.—
LaRae Quy,
Forbes,
20 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Hoax.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoax. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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