hoax Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun something intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage
    humbug; fraud; fraudulence; dupery; put-on.
  2. verb subject to a playful hoax or joke
    play a joke on; pull someone's leg.

WordNet

Hoax noun
Etymology
Prob. contr. fr. hocus, in hocus-pocus.
Definitions
  1. A deception for mockery or mischief; a deceptive trick or story; a practical joke. Macaulay.
Hoax transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Hoaxed ; present participle & verbal noun Hoaxing
Definitions
  1. To deceive by a story or a trick, for sport or mischief; to impose upon sportively. Lamb.

Webster 1913