humbug
Use Humbug in a sentence
noun
1.
something intended to delude or deceive.
2.
the quality of falseness or deception.
3.
a person who is not what he or she claims or pretends to be; impostor.
4.
something devoid of sense or meaning; nonsense: a humbug of technical jargon.
5.
British. a variety of hard mint candy.
verb (used with object)
6.
to impose upon by humbug or false pretense; delude; deceive.
00:10
Humbug
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| chat, to converse |
verb (used without object)
7.
to practice humbug.
interjection
8.
Origin:
1730–40; origin uncertain
1730–40; origin uncertain
Related forms
hum·bug·ger, noun
Synonyms
1. imposition. 2. pretense, sham. 3. pretender, deceiver, charlatan, swindler, quack, confidence man. 6. cheat, swindle, trick, fool, dupe.
1. imposition. 2. pretense, sham. 3. pretender, deceiver, charlatan, swindler, quack, confidence man. 6. cheat, swindle, trick, fool, dupe.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To humbug
Collins
World English Dictionary
humbug (ˈhʌmˌbʌɡ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a person or thing that tricks or deceives |
| 2. | nonsense; rubbish |
| 3. | (Brit) a hard boiled sweet, usually flavoured with peppermint and often having a striped pattern |
| —vb , -bugs, -bugging, -bugged | |
| 4. | to cheat or deceive (someone) |
| [C18: of unknown origin] | |
| 'humbugger | |
| —n | |
| 'humbuggery | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
humbug
1751, student slang, "trick, jest, hoax, deception," of unknown origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Mind you this diet is not some complementary humbug, but a strictly medically supervised treatment.
To blame the weir for environmental destruction which has already occurred is political humbug.
Heraldry is mixed with haberdashery, humbug with history, and scholarly looking footnotes with simple-minded literalism.
The production of humbug has become a systematic, even industrial process.
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