Definitions for Humbug
ˈhʌmˌbʌghum·bug

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. baloney, boloney, bilgewater, bosh, drool, humbug, taradiddle, tarradiddle, tommyrot, tosh, twaddlenoun

   pretentious or silly talk or writing

2. humbug, snake oilnoun

   communication (written or spoken) intended to deceive

3. fraud, fraudulence, dupery, hoax, humbug, put-onverb

   something intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage

4. humbugverb

   trick or deceive

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. humbugnoun

   A hoax, prank or jest

2. humbugnoun

   A fraud or sham

3. humbugnoun

   A fraudster or cheat

4. humbugnoun

   A type of chewy sweet (candy)

5. humbugverb

   To play a trick on.

6. humbugverb

   To cheat, swindle.

7. humbuginterjection

   nonsense!

8. Etymology: First in use about 1735-40, from hum + bug

ChatGPTRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. humbug

   Humbug is a term used to describe deceptive, fraudulent, false or dishonest behavior or talk. It can also refer to someone or something that is not genuine, hypocritical or misleading.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Humbugnoun

   an imposition under fair pretenses; something contrived in order to deceive and mislead; a trick by cajolery; a hoax

2. Humbugnoun

   a spirit of deception; cajolery; trickishness

3. Humbugnoun

   one who deceives or misleads; a deceitful or trickish fellow; an impostor

4. Humbugverb

   to deceive; to impose; to cajole; to hoax

5. Etymology: [Prob. fr. hum to impose on, deceive + bug a frightful object.]

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Humbug

   In English the word Humbug refers to a person or thing that tricks, deceives, talks, or behaves in a way that is deceptive, dishonest, false, or insincere, often a hoax or in jest. The term was first described in 1751 as student slang. It is now also often used as an exclamation to mean 'nonsense' or 'gibberish'. When referring to a person, a humbug means a fraud or impostor, implying an element of unjustified publicity and spectacle. In Britain, the term is also used for certain types of candy. In modern usage, the word is most associated with Ebenezer Scrooge, a character created by Charles Dickens. His famous reference to Christmas, "Bah! Humbug!", declaring Christmas to be a fraud, is commonly used in stage and television versions of A Christmas Carol and also appeared frequently in the original book. The word is also prominently used in The Wizard of Oz, where the wizard describes himself as "just a humbug." P. T. Barnum was a master of humbug, creating public sensations and fascination with his masterful sense of publicity. Many of his promoted exhibitions were obvious fakes, but the paying public enjoyed viewing them, either to scoff or for the wonder of them. A famous humbug took place on the arrival of the actress and theatre manager Jenny Lind to America, just outside the showplace of P. T. Barnum, the New American Museum, in 1850.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Humbug

   hum′bug, n. an imposition under fair pretences: hollowness, pretence: one who so imposes: a kind of candy.—v.t. to deceive: to hoax:—pr.p. hum′bugging; pa.p. hum′bugged.—adj. Humbug′able, capable of being humbugged.—ns. Hum′bugger, one who humbugs; Hum′buggery, the practice of humbugging. [Orig. 'a false alarm,' 'a bugbear,' from hum and bug, a frightful object.]

Etymology and OriginsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Humbug

   The old mode of expressing approbation of a speech or at the play was by humming, but since the sincerity of this form of applause could not always be relied upon, intermingled as it may have been with suppressed murmurs of disapproval, the word Hum came to be applied to mock admiration or flattery, intended only to deceive. Hence the saying: “That’s all hum.” The added word Bug is very old, signifying a frightful object, a thing to be shunned. To humbug is to deceive; to prefer candour to humbug is to be proof against flattery.

Matched Categories

1. • Deceive
   • Misrepresentation
   • Nonsense

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce Humbug?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Humbug in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Humbug in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Humbug in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of Humbug in a Sentence

1. William Tecumseh Sherman:

   Vox populi, vox humbug.

2. Alan Simpson:

   An educated man ... is thoroughly inoculated against humbug, thinks for himself and tries to give his thoughts, in speech or on paper, some style.

3. Eugène Ionesco:

   There is nothing truer than myth: history, in its attempt to realize myth, distorts it, stops halfway; when history claims to have succeeded, this is nothing but humbug and mystification. Everything we dream is realizable. Reality does not have to be: it is simply what it is.

4. Becket Executive Director Montse Alvarado:

   A hearty bah-humbug toast to university officials who make Christian and Jewish students feel like second class citizens at a time that should be full of brotherly love and giving.

5. Mark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger, chapter 10 (1916):

   [Humanity] has unquestionably one really effective weapon—laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution—these can lift at a colossal humbug—push it a little—weaken it a little, century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Humbug
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Humbug
3. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
4. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Humbug
5. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=Humbug
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=Humbug
7. ^ Etymology and Origins
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/54657/pg54657-images.html#:~:text=Humbug
8. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Humbug