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
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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
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Recent Examples of hoax
Peter D'abrosca, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025
Both stores were evacuated as officers searched the buildings, but they were later reopened after police confirmed the threats appeared to be hoaxes, according to local news channel 40.
—Chloe Mayer, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 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
Sherri Papini, California mom behind kidnapping hoax, is confronted with evidence of her hoax: SEE IT
Interview footage released by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office shows detectives interviewing California mom Sherri Papini about her kidnapping - and ultimately confronting her with the truth.
—Peter D'abrosca, Fox News, 21 Mar. 2025
Both stores were evacuated as officers searched the buildings, but they were later reopened after police confirmed the threats appeared to be hoaxes, according to local news channel 40.
—Chloe Mayer, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 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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Others have used the counterfeits from East Asia to take advantage of Apple by sending in counterfeit phones that couldn't be repaired in order to induce the company to replace the counterfeits with genuine iPhones, Apple isn't the only one plagued by fraudsters.—
Michael Loria,
USA TODAY,
16 Jan. 2025
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Cases of counterfeits have been rare, but with prices rising into the six- and seven-figure range, obtaining that certified guarantee is important.—
Rob Salkowitz,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Big Cat turned the tables on all those trolls for April Fool's Day and tricked plenty of them.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
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For example, Russian operatives reportedly tricked Ukrainian troops into giving access to their Signal accounts.—
Frederick Scholl,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Among them, pyramid schemes, membership fee fakes, credit repair cons, dubious health offers, fictitious diploma schools and illegitimate gaming services.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Always double-check URLs and email addresses to spot fakes.—
Alex Vakulov,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Verb
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That attempt was soon fooled by sloppy play in the neutral zone that gave Brad Marchand a short-handed opportunity.—
Nick Ashbourne,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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Then, as if anyone was fooled, the talk show host pulled off his hat, wig and snap-on nose and lip piercings and Sheeran pulled of his wig to reveal his signature carrot top to shouts of joy.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The votes were widely viewed as a sham and heavily criticized by the US at the time as well as by allies in Europe.—
Anna Chernova,
CNN,
24 Mar. 2025
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Six elections since have been widely dismissed as shams that concealed rising discontent.—
Nataliya Vasilyeva,
New York Times,
25 Jan. 2025
Verb
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More than a dozen state attorneys general also have sued TikTok, alleging last year that the company deceived users about its child safety tools and deployed harmful features to keep children on the platform longer to maximize profits.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
-
There is evidence of motivated malicious actors abusing the 'verified account' to deceive users.—
Jon Brodkin,
ArsTechnica,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The lawsuit alleged a veritable shopping list of offenses including breach of contract, unjust enrichment, forgery and wrongful conversion of property.—
Nick Rosenberger,
Idaho Statesman,
26 Mar. 2025
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For experts, the question of whether the sculpture was an intentional forgery or a copy made as an artistic exercise still lingers.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
25 Mar. 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 13 Apr. 2025.
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