fake news
Americannoun
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false news stories, often of a sensational nature, created to be widely shared or distributed for the purpose of generating revenue, or promoting or discrediting a public figure, political movement, company, etc..
It’s impossible to avoid clickbait and fake news on social media.
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a parody that presents current events or other news topics for humorous effect in an obviously satirical imitation of journalism.
The website publishes fake news that is hilarious and surprisingly insightful.
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Sometimes Facetious. (used as a conversational tactic to dispute or discredit information that is perceived as hostile or unflattering).
The senator insisted that recent polls forecasting an election loss were just fake news.
Usage
What is fake news? Fake news can refer to false new stories, often spread as misinformation or disinformation on social media. It has also come to refer any information that one finds critical about themselves or something themselves, a use popularized by President Donald Trump in 2016.
Etymology
Origin of fake news
First recorded in 1800–20 in the sense “false news, spurious news”; the current sense was first recorded in 2010–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The way history is told is very important,” Moura notes, adding that now more than ever, “everything is upside down, especially with the fake news and so many crazy lies. That’s the scariest part of it all for me, the fact that the facts don’t matter anymore.”
From Los Angeles Times
The job of heading up Australia's eSafety Commission has put her squarely on the frontlines of internet battles - over fake news, censorship, trolling and children's safety.
From BBC
See more: Cybersecurity stocks fall, but an analyst wonders if China fears are just ‘fake news’
From MarketWatch
Two decades ago, when fake news actually meant fake, the Onion ran this headline: “Yankees Ensure 2003 Pennant By Signing Every Player In Baseball.”
From Los Angeles Times
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello last year called the gang “fake news” and referred to it as “an urban legend.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
