humbug
noun/ˈhʌmbʌɡ/
/ˈhʌmbʌɡ/
- [uncountable] (old-fashioned) dishonest language or behaviour that is intended to trick people
- political humbug
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- [countable] (old-fashioned) a person who is not sincere or honest
- [countable] (British English) a hard sweet made from boiled sugar, especially one that tastes of peppermint
Word Originmid 18th cent. (in the senses ‘hoax, trick’ and ‘deceiver’): of unknown origin.
Check pronunciation:
humbug