as in counterfeits
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 tricks
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 hoaxes
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2026
The dishonest duo got rich from their deception, but in the age of AI slop, there is a certain charm to analogue hoaxes such as these.
—
The Week Uk,
TheWeek,
18 June 2026
That is why this conversation is about far more than celebrity deepfakes or viral internet hoaxes.
—
Richard Fowler,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
The Pepsi-tampering mystery was unraveling today as several claims of objects found in soda cans were pronounced hoaxes.
—
Aj Willingham,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
The fact remains that 30 years ago, before the Texas Air National Guard fiasco, among so many other fake-news hoaxes, 60 Minutes had more than 20 million viewers a week.
—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
All of the threats, including the one at Zoo Atlanta, turned out to be hoaxes.
—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991, has also been the subject of death hoaxes in the past, including in 2018, when a fake article reporting his death circulated online.
—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
Although investigators received many tips, some were hoaxes and others didn’t lead to any developments.
—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
By probing his triple role as author, anthropologist and cult leader, the book asks why Americans hunger for seductive spiritual hoaxes.
—
Los Angeles Times,
23 June 2026
The dishonest duo got rich from their deception, but in the age of AI slop, there is a certain charm to analogue hoaxes such as these.
—
The Week Uk,
TheWeek,
18 June 2026
That is why this conversation is about far more than celebrity deepfakes or viral internet hoaxes.
—
Richard Fowler,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
The Pepsi-tampering mystery was unraveling today as several claims of objects found in soda cans were pronounced hoaxes.
—
Aj Willingham,
AJC.com,
17 June 2026
The fact remains that 30 years ago, before the Texas Air National Guard fiasco, among so many other fake-news hoaxes, 60 Minutes had more than 20 million viewers a week.
—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
All of the threats, including the one at Zoo Atlanta, turned out to be hoaxes.
—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
Fox, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991, has also been the subject of death hoaxes in the past, including in 2018, when a fake article reporting his death circulated online.
—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
9 Apr. 2026
Although investigators received many tips, some were hoaxes and others didn’t lead to any developments.
—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoaxes
Noun
-
Luxus focuses on pristine-condition assets with clear provenance, reducing risks associated with counterfeits and quality degradation.
-
Unprosecuted crimes against the public — such as the widespread sale of 78-cent postage stamps for 19 cents to 59 cents, rolls of 100, counterfeits all, for years online.
Verb
-
Cthulhu, who tricks the Minions into releasing his friends from purgatory.
-
Removing fading flowers and their seed pods tricks the plant to redirect its energy from producing seeds to producing more scapes and flower buds, as well as putting energy into root development and storing energy for the next growing season.
Noun
-
The Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services has warned that people can easily obtain fakes; in 2010, Puerto Rico invalidated all its existing birth certificates, citing rampant fraud and identity theft.
-
The publicly available letter, which was dated June 18, comes as Europe prepares to start implementing more regulations under the AI Act this August, including the transparency obligations requiring companies to disclose deep fakes in audio and visual content.
Verb
-
Runway, Pika, and a dozen others can produce footage that fools the eye on first watch.
-
What fools these non-OpenAI mortals must be.
Noun
-
Federal law strictly prohibits the publication of nonconsensual intimate imagery, including digital forgeries, and most states have passed criminal laws.
-
His work was the subject of many forgeries, but Naranjo showed them grace.
Verb
-
The complaint also claims that the image deceives customers into thinking Lipa has endorsed the product and dilutes her brand identity.
-
The fragmentary Ni 12501 tablet from the Early Dynastic III period of Mesopotamia breaks off when Fox deceives the inhabitants of the netherworld in his quest to retrieve the storm god Ishkur.
Noun
-
Just know that some logo buttons are genuine, some are replacements and some are reproductions, so authentication matters.
-
Choi notably collaborated with the institution’s Learning and Engagement department on its Find Art Here program, which brought reproductions of works held in the museum’s collection to schools and libraries throughout Harlem.
Noun
-
Hours before Haruki Murakami's new book was set to go on sale in Japan on Friday, dozens of fans gathered outside a major Tokyo bookstore for a special event to get their first copies as soon as the clock struck midnight.
-
And that’s why Howard Zinn has sold 5 million copies, because teenagers sort of like to be in on something.
Cite this Entry
“Hoaxes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoaxes. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
