hoaxed; hoaxing; hoaxes
: to trick into believing or accepting as genuine something false and often preposterous
were hoaxed by the website
hoaxer
noun
1
: an act intended to trick or dupe : imposture
the victim of a cruel hoax
assumed the bomb threat was just a hoax
2
: something accepted or established by fraud or fabrication
believes the Loch Ness Monster is a hoax
a literary hoax
Synonyms
Examples of hoax in a Sentence
Verb
a skilled forger who hoaxed the art world into believing that the paintings were long-lost Vermeers
Noun
The bomb threat is probably a hoax, but we should still evacuate the building.
She was the victim of a cruel hoax.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 10 June 2024
Such criticism has led some police to respond more aggressively to hoax school shooting calls.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 5 Oct. 2023
Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
Underwater archeologists say Le Griffon has long been a target for hoaxes.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hoax 
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Doxxed addresses have led to hoax 911 calls that prompted SWAT teams to raid victims’ homes.
—Ali Breland, The Atlantic, 10 June 2024
Such criticism has led some police to respond more aggressively to hoax school shooting calls.
—Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 5 Oct. 2023
Noun
Victims' families filed lawsuits in Connecticut and Texas accusing Jones of defaming them on his show and inflicting emotional distress by repeatedly suggesting that the shooting, in which a gunman killed 20 first-grade children and six adults, was a hoax.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
Underwater archeologists say Le Griffon has long been a target for hoaxes.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hoax
Dictionary Entries Near hoax
Cite this Entry
“Hoax.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hoax. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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