Standard Lemma guide

hokum

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhəʊkəm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈhoʊkəm/
  • rhymes with -əʊkəm
  • CMU ARPABET: HH OW1 K AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

(An instance of) meaningless nonsense with an outward appearance of being impressive and legitimate.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, informal, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bunkum, absurdity, all my eye, all my eye and Betty Martin, applesauce, bafflegab, balderdash, balls, baloney, banana oil, Bandini, baragouin, batcrap, batshit, bilgewater, blah, blather, blatherskite, bobbins, bollocks, bosh, BS, bull, bullcrap, bulldust, bull feathers, bullshit, bullspeak, bunk, bushwah, clamjamfrey, claptrap, cobblers, codswallop, crap, crock, crock of shit, double Dutch, double talk, doublespeak, dribble, drivel, eyewash, fiddle-faddle, flapdoodle, flim-flam, flizz, flummery, folderol, foolishness, footle, framis, fuckery, fuckry, fudge, galimatias, Gallophone, garbage, garble, gash, gibber, gibberish, gobbledygook, gossip, Greek, guff, gup, hoax, hocus-pocus, hogwash, hokum, hooey, horse cock, horsefeathers, horse hockey, horse piss, horse puckey, horseshit, humbug, Irish bull, jabber, jabberwocky, jargon, jibber-jabber, jimjam, jive, junk, lallation, macaroni, malarkey, manure, meaninglessness, moonshine, mumbo jumbo, nertz, nonsense, pie in the sky, piffle, pigswill, poppycock, prattle, put-on, rhubarb, rhubarb rhubarb, rigmarole, rot, rubbish, ruse, santorum, shit, shite, skimble-skamble, squit, stuff, stuff and nonsense, tommy-rot, tosh, trittle trattle, tush, trash, tripe, twaddle, wass, whiff-whaff, word salad

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

(An instance of) excessively contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material in a film, television programme, theater production, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, informal, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A film, television programme, theater production, etc., containing excessively contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, informal, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A genre of blues song or music, often characterized by sexual innuendos or satire.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Topics: entertainment, lifestyle, music

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a message that seems to convey no meaning

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: nonsense, bunk, nonsensicality, meaninglessness

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: message, content, subject matter, substance

Narrower terms: absurdity, absurdness, ridiculousness, amphigory, nonsense verse, balderdash, fiddle-faddle, piffle, buzzword, cant, cobblers, crock, fa la, fal la, gibberish, gibber, incoherence, incoherency, unintelligibility, jabberwocky, mummery, flummery, palaver, hot air, empty words, empty talk, rhetoric, rigmarole, rigamarole, shmegegge, schmegegge, stuff, stuff and nonsense, hooey, poppycock, baloney, boloney, bilgewater, bosh, drool, humbug, taradiddle, tarradiddle, tommyrot, tosh, twaddle

History

Etymology

Uncertain; first attested as US theater slang, possibly a blend of hocus-pocus + bunkum.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: klatergoud — (an instance of) meaningless nonsense with an outward appearance of being impressive and legitimate
  • Finnish: hölynpöly — (an instance of) meaningless nonsense with an outward appearance of being impressive and legitimate
  • French: absurdité — (an instance of) meaningless nonsense with an outward appearance of being impressive and legitimate
  • Dutch: effectbejag — (an instance of) excessively contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material in a film, etc.
  • Spanish: cursilada — (an instance of) excessively contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material in a film, etc.
  • Spanish: cursilería — (an instance of) excessively contrived, hackneyed, or sentimental material in a film, etc.