1
a
: something designed to deceive and mislead
Their claims are humbug.
b
: a willfully false, deceptive, or insincere person
He's just an old humbug.
denounced as humbugs the playwrights who magnify the difficulties of their craft—
Times Literary Supplement
Times Literary Supplement2
: an attitude or spirit of pretense and deception
in all his humbug, in all his malice and hollowness—Mary Lindsay
Mary Lindsay4
British
: a hard usually peppermint-flavored candy
humbugged; humbugging
: to engage in a hoax or deception
Synonyms
Noun
Verb
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 humbug
Verb
humbugged into believing that the bones were the skeleton of a prehistoric human being
Recent Examples on the WebJeff Labrecque, EW.com, 17 June 2024
Plump four-poster beds are covered in rich floral fabrics or set against wallpaper patterned like humbugs.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Dec. 2023
Elizabeth Wolfe and Douglas S. Wood, CNN, 21 Dec. 2019
See all Example Sentences for humbug 
Noun
Fields' Wizard would've been more of a con-man while Morgan played him as a frightened little humbug.
—Jeff Labrecque, EW.com, 17 June 2024
Plump four-poster beds are covered in rich floral fabrics or set against wallpaper patterned like humbugs.
—Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Dec. 2023
Verb
In its verb form, to be humbugged is to be deceived or be the victim of a hoax.
—Elizabeth Wolfe and Douglas S. Wood, CNN, 21 Dec. 2019
See all Example Sentences for humbug
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'humbug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near humbug
Cite this Entry
“Humbug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humbug. Accessed 24 Jul. 2024.
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