humbug
noun
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Definition of humbug
(Entry 1 of 2)
humbug
verbDefinition of humbug (Entry 2 of 2)
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Other Words from humbug
Noun
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noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for humbug
Synonyms: Noun
counterfeit, fake, forgery, hoax, phony (also phoney), sham
Synonyms: Verb
bamboozle, beguile, bluff, buffalo, burn, catch, con, cozen, deceive, delude, dupe, fake out, fool, gaff, gammon, gull, have, have on [chiefly British], hoax, hoodwink, hornswoggle, juggle, misguide, misinform, mislead, snooker, snow, spoof, string along, suck in, sucker, take in, trick
Antonyms: Verb
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Examples of humbug in a Sentence
Noun
tests showed that the “old” map of America was a cleverly made humbug those UFO stories are a lot of humbugVerb
humbugged into believing that the bones were the skeleton of a prehistoric human being
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Like every state, Colorado has its folklore, hoaxes, tall tales and humbugs. — Tom Noel, The Know, "16 strange, spooky and (mostly) true Colorado stories to tell around a campfire," 24 Aug. 2019 The commercial web steams on as a hopped-up, strung-out system of hyperlinks, engineered to mix Barnumesque humbug with authentic reports, and to overlap ads and news—the better to sucker the eye. — Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, "The Truth-Affirming Powers of a Good, Old-Fashioned Netflix Binge," 23 May 2018 This was familiar big-corporation humbug, custom-built to obscure the real issues. — Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, "Column: If a $5-billion fine won’t shake Facebook, what can bring it to heel?," 18 July 2019 The commercial web steams on as a hopped-up, strung-out system of hyperlinks, engineered to mix Barnumesque humbug with authentic reports, and to overlap ads and news—the better to sucker the eye. — Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, "The Truth-Affirming Powers of a Good, Old-Fashioned Netflix Binge," 23 May 2018 No Star Wars has ever made a better case for the Force than this film, which finally mends the damage done by the midi-chlorian humbug introduced in the disastrous prequel films. — Justin L. Mack, Indianapolis Star, "Reviews of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' roll in (with and without spoilers)," 14 Dec. 2017 No Star Wars has ever made a better case for the Force than this film, which finally mends the damage done by the midi-chlorian humbug introduced in the disastrous prequel films. — Justin L. Mack, Indianapolis Star, "Reviews of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' roll in (with and without spoilers)," 14 Dec. 2017 No Star Wars has ever made a better case for the Force than this film, which finally mends the damage done by the midi-chlorian humbug introduced in the disastrous prequel films. — Justin L. Mack, Indianapolis Star, "Reviews of 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' roll in (with and without spoilers)," 14 Dec. 2017 Admittedly, the story line is a little confusing, but the kid is super cute, so bah humbug to the haters! 13. — Ruth Kinane, PEOPLE.com, "The 26 Best Holiday Commercials of 2017," 23 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'humbug.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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