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hoax

- 5 dictionary results

hoax

  [hohks]
Use hoax in a Sentence
–noun
1. something intended to deceive or defraud: The Piltdown man was a scientific hoax.
–verb (used with object)
2. to deceive by a hoax; hoodwink.
Origin:
1790–1800; perh. contr. of hocus

Related forms:
hoaxer, noun

Synonyms:
1. deception, fraud, fake, imposture, humbug.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To hoax
hoax   (hōks)   
n.  
  1. An act intended to deceive or trick.
  2. Something that has been established or accepted by fraudulent means.
tr.v.   hoaxed, hoax·ing, hoax·es
To deceive or cheat by using a hoax.

[Perhaps alteration of hocus.]
hoax'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Hoax

Hoax\, n. [Prob. contr. fr. hocus, in hocus-pocus.] A deception for mockery or mischief; a deceptive trick or story; a practical joke. --Macaulay.

Hoax

Hoax\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Hoaxed; p. pr. & vb. n. Hoaxing.] To deceive by a story or a trick, for sport or mischief; to impose upon sportively. --Lamb.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : hoax
Spanish: trampa, engaño; broma pesada,
German: die Falschmeldung,
Japanese: 人をかつぐこと
More Translations »

hoax 
1796 (v.), 1808 (n.), probably alt. of hocus "conjurer, juggler" (1640), or directly from hocus-pocus.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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