hoax

¹hoax

verb \ˈhōks\

Definition of HOAX

transitive verb

: to trick into believing or accepting as genuine something false and often preposterous

— hoax·er noun

Examples of HOAX

1. <a skilled forger who hoaxed the art world into believing that the paintings were long-lost Vermeers>

Origin of HOAX

probably contraction of hocus

First Known Use: circa 1796

Related to HOAX

Synonyms: bamboozle, beguile, bluff, buffalo, burn, catch, con, cozen, delude, dupe, fake out, fool, gaff, gammon, gull, have, have on [chiefly British], deceive, hoodwink, hornswoggle, humbug, juggle, misguide, misinform, mislead, snooker, snow, spoof, string along, sucker, suck in, take in, trick

Antonyms: undeceive

Related Words: kid, put on, tease; bleed, cheat, chisel, defraud, diddle, euchre, flam, fleece, gyp, hustle, mulct, rook, shortchange, skin, squeeze, stick, sting, swindle

Near Antonyms: debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask; disclose, divulge, tell, unveil; disabuse, disenchant, disillusion

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Rhymes with HOAX

coax