1
as in hoax
an imitation that is passed off as genuine
tests showed that the "old" map of America was a cleverly made humbug
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nonsense
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
those UFO stories are a lot of humbug
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fraud
one who makes false claims of identity or expertise
one humbug after another claimed to be the miraculously surviving daughter of the Russian czar
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as in to fool
to cause to believe what is untrue
humbugged into believing that the bones were the skeleton of a prehistoric human being
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of humbug
IEEE Spectrum, 16 Jan. 2024
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
Elizabeth Wolfe and Douglas S. Wood, CNN, 21 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for humbug
Noun
Well then, the author cannot be blamed for what might be called the worldwide humbug over the robots.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Jan. 2024
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
-
Trump has dismissed concerns about his administration's handling of the situation and made claims that the conspiracy theories were a hoax.—
Ivan Pereira,
ABC News,
29 July 2025
-
While much of the pressure for more information is coming from the president's own MAGA base, Trump continues to insist the controversy is a hoax that's been built up way beyond proportion by his political enemies.—
Franco Ordoñez,
NPR,
29 July 2025
Noun
-
Sarah mumbles some nonsense and changes the subject.—
Alice Burton,
Vulture,
28 July 2025
-
That’s the kind of unsupported nonsense Floridians should reject, without solid evidence to back it up.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 July 2025
Noun
-
In a plea deal, Johnson pled guilty to one count of broker-dealer registration violation, a Class C felony, in exchange for the 14 securities fraud counts being dismissed.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
One exception is if the government was able to prove that citizenship was obtained through fraud in the case of naturalization.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
FOXNews.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
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His impersonation is so convincing that Lu and Shin are initially fooled.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
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The Mets couldn’t pick up his slider and were fooled on his changeup.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
13 July 2025
Noun
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Manufacturers use these to track inventory and flag counterfeits.—
Boutayna Chokrane,
Wired News,
8 July 2025
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But the errors on the alleged counterfeits aren’t the only reason that Levi’s believes PBG carried out its actions willfully and with knowledge.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
8 May 2025
Noun
-
Use it to find and retrieve stray nuts or bolts in any crevice.—
Nora Colomer,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2025
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Without that pollination, almond trees produce only 200 pounds of nuts per acre.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The California high-speed rail project is a sham and should have been stopped many years ago.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
20 July 2025
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Some ought to know better: The false and horrific accusation before the highly politicized International Criminal Court is a total sham.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 July 2025
Verb
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In the ensuing hours, Hernandez asked several times to go home, said the officers were trying to trick him, sobbed, clutched at his stomach, lay on the floor in a fetal position, had a fentanyl patch placed on his chest to treat his chronic pain, and mentioned his mental illness diagnoses.—
Joaquin Sapien,
ProPublica,
28 July 2025
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In the series, Haddix revealed to the audience that Tonka was alive and celebrated her tricking the court.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
24 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Humbug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/humbug. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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