I. ˈhōks transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: probably by contraction of hocus
: to trick into believing or accepting or doing something : play upon the credulity of so as to bring about belief in or acceptance of what is actually false and often preposterous : take in : delude , dupe , mislead , victimize
hoaxed them into thinking the diamonds were genuine
eager to hoax people into swallowing propaganda
even the experts were hoaxed
Synonyms: see dupe
II. noun
( -es )
1. : an act intended to trick or dupe : a piece of trickery : imposture
played a hoax on the miners — New Republic
hoaxes have occurred even in the present century — R.W.Murray
2. : something accepted or believed in through trickery : something established by fraud or fabrication
the book was once thought to be based on actual experience, but it is now recognized as a literary hoax
Piltdown man is one of the biggest hoaxes ever launched on the scientific world