hocus
Americanverb (used with object)
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to play a trick on; hoax; cheat.
-
to stupefy with drugged liquor.
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to drug (liquor).
verb
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to take in; trick
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to stupefy, esp with a drug
-
to add a drug to (a drink)
Etymology
Origin of hocus
First recorded in 1665–75; short for hocus-pocus
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.
“What he did for those 20 hours is hocus pocus,” Richards said in urging jurors to reject consideration of the image.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 15, 2021
Imam Hasan, who is based at the Al-Emaan Centre in Bromley, Kent, said ruqya is misunderstood and rejected myths of "spells, magic wands or hocus pocus" being involved.
From BBC • Sep. 20, 2021
“Dew manipulated the slides. The one clue we couldn’t figure out was the placard, but they played hocus pocus with the placard. We were given something that had been altered.”
From The Guardian • Sep. 30, 2017
It knows it’s always being upstaged by the hocus pocus of its own medium.
From Washington Times • Jun. 8, 2016
Secrecy, mystery, all manner of childish hocus pocus, were used to establish these primitive ideas; and the weight of that black past is upon its yet.
From The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909-1910) by Gilman, Charlotte Perkins
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.
