hocus-pocus

American  

[hoh-kuhs-poh-kuhs] / ˈhoʊ kəsˈpoʊ kəs /

noun

1. a meaningless chant or expression used in conjuring or incantation.

2. a juggler's trick; sleight of hand.

3. trickery; deception.

   Synonyms:

   double-dealing, hanky-panky, dishonesty, deceit

4. unnecessarily mysterious or elaborate activity or talk to cover up a deception, magnify a simple purpose, etc.

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verb (used with object)

hocus-pocused, hocus-pocusing, hocus-pocussed, hocus-pocussing

1. to play tricks on or with.

verb (used without object)

hocus-pocused, hocus-pocusing, hocus-pocussed, hocus-pocussing

1. to perform tricks; practice trickery or deception.

hocus-pocus British  

/ ˈhəʊkəsˈpəʊkəs /

noun

1. trickery or chicanery

2. mystifying jargon

3. an incantation used by conjurors or magicians when performing tricks

4. conjuring skill or practice

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verb

1. to deceive or trick (someone)

Etymology

Origin of hocus-pocus

First recorded in 1615–25; pseudo-Latin rhyming formula used by jugglers and magicians

Explanation

Hocus-pocus is an illusion or a meaningless distraction that tricks you in some way. Some people believe in astrology, while others think horoscopes are nothing but hocus-pocus. A car salesman might use smooth-talking hocus-pocus to distract you from the fact that you're paying way too much for your new convertible, and similarly, a magician uses hocus-pocus to draw her audience's attention away from the rabbit behind her back or the card up her sleeve. The word hocus-pocus originally came from magic shows, in fact — it's fake Latin, probably copied from the Latin Mass invocation, Hoc est corpus meum, "this is my body."

Example Sentences

Until we all pay attention to what matters, the fee hocus-pocus will never stop.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

“Late Night With the Devil,” a sly, aw-shucksy chiller from sibling filmmakers Cameron Cairnes and Colin Cairnes, is a clever reminder that the entertainment business was built on hocus-pocus.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2024

When Becky isn’t dealing with the repercussions of using hocus-pocus to fix her life, she’s conversing with her dead daughter or stepping into Rebecca’s memories.

From New York Times • Dec. 4, 2022

Even up close, it was impossible to tell whether it was all sleight of hand or real hocus-pocus.

From Washington Post • Oct. 21, 2021

“I knew it! I knew all you guys were going to crack up someday if you didn’t quit fooling around with this hocus-pocus stuff.”

From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder