hocus

[ hoh-kuh s ]

/ ˈhoʊ kəs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hocus ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), ho·cused, ho·cus·ing or (especially British) ho·cussed, ho·cus·sing.

to play a trick on; hoax; cheat.

to stupefy with drugged liquor.

to drug (liquor).

Nearby words

hockle, hockney, hockney, david, hockshop, hocktide, hocus, hocus-pocus, hod, hod carrier, hodden, hodeida

Origin of hocus

First recorded in 1665–75; short for hocus-pocus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hocus

So how did 18-year-old Jason Marsden get cast as the voice of a talking cat in Hocus Pocus?
‘Hocus Pocus’ Turns 20: Meet the Voice Behind Binx the Talking Cat|Kevin Fallon|October 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Finally, in the spirit of Hocus Pocus, what are your Halloween plans this year?
‘Hocus Pocus’ Turns 20: Meet the Voice Behind Binx the Talking Cat|Kevin Fallon|October 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And he refers his readers to his Spanish-Gipsy vocabulary for the words hoax and hocus, as a reason for such an opinion!
A History of the Gipsies|Walter Simson
My aunt began her hocus pocus by throwing out all the cards in the pack under seven.
The Lock And Key Library|Various

Hocus loved her best, believing her to be his own, got upon the body of Mrs. Bull.
The History of John Bull|John Arbuthnot
Hocus pocus, gipsy words of magic, similar to the modern presto fly.
The Slang Dictionary|John Camden Hotten
Hocus fed her extravagancy (what was still more shameful) with John's own money.
The History of John Bull|John Arbuthnot

British Dictionary definitions for hocus

hocus

/ (ˈhəʊkəs) /

verb -cuses, -cusing, -cused, -cuses, -cussing or -cussed (tr) rare

to take in; trick

to stupefy, esp with a drug

to add a drug to (a drink)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012