Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Hoax

Hoax , noun

[Probably contr. from hocus, in hocus-pocus.]

A deception for mockery or mischief; a deceptive trick or story; a practical joke. — Macaulay

Hoax , transitive verb

To deceive by a story or a trick, for sport or mischief; to impose upon sportively. — Lamb