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
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 hoax
Emily Blackwood, People.com, 27 May 2025
Airing on Investigation Discovery over two nights — May 26 and 27 — the four-part documentary series recalls Papini’s 2016 disappearance, her shocking return 22 days later and the years leading up to her 2022 guilty plea for orchestrating the hoax.
—Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 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
How were Sherri Papini’s kids affected by her kidnapping hoax?
—Emily Blackwood, People.com, 27 May 2025
Airing on Investigation Discovery over two nights — May 26 and 27 — the four-part documentary series recalls Papini’s 2016 disappearance, her shocking return 22 days later and the years leading up to her 2022 guilty plea for orchestrating the hoax.
—Erin Lassner, HollywoodReporter, 26 May 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
-
On counterfeits, the color is almost always wrong, usually a highlighter shade of yellow instead.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
-
Marcus Ray Chavez, 30, gave the girl counterfeit pills containing fentanyl on at least four occasions between September and November of 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Phishing pages masquerade as banks, auction sites, and other sensitive sites, hoping to trick victims into logging in.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
11 June 2025
-
Geragos asked Jane about presents that Diddy lavished upon her, for example, seemingly to suggest that his gift-giving indicated a romantic relationship, not a ruse to trick her into kink.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
11 June 2025
Noun
-
People will either fall for fakes—or doubt the truth.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
-
When the computer was seized, in November, creating digital fakes was not yet considered a crime.—
Tiffany Hsu,
New York Times,
22 May 2025
Verb
-
Reyes was a nice spring training story, but the Yankees were fooled by meaningless February and March stats.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
8 June 2025
-
But don't be fooled, as these texts are sophisticated scams designed to steal your personal information or money.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Pottery Barn Outlet Bedding Deals There are plenty of deals on comfortable quilts, cozy comforters, and shams in the Pottery Barn bedding sale section.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 May 2025
-
Quince often has Bundle & Save offers for up to 25% off select clothing and bedding sets with hotel-quality sheets, duvets, and shams.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
Notably, 40 percent acknowledged faking activity to deceive monitoring systems, suggesting a struggle to maintain consistent performance outside traditional office settings.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 June 2025
-
So there’s an interesting, dark comedy element to people that are deceiving themselves.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
The man was charged with forgery and is being held on $50,000 bond.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
21 May 2025
-
In 2021, while working for Big Blue Box, Larson was put on probation in Dakota County for check forgery and theft by swindle for defrauding a previous employer.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
21 May 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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 19 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share