hoax

/hoʊks/
verb
  1. To deceive someone with a trick or false story.
    • He hoaxed the entire town with a fake treasure map.
    • They tried to hoax the teacher by pretending the homework was eaten by a dog.
    • The pranksters hoaxed their friends into thinking it was snowing in July.
Synonyms
noun
  1. A trick or deception intended to fool people, often for humor or to cause confusion.
    • The newspaper apologized for publishing a hoax about a famous singer.
    • Someone created a hoax claiming the school was closed tomorrow.
    • The story about aliens landing in the park turned out to be a hoax.
Antonyms