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hocus-pocus

[ hoh-kuhs-poh-kuhs ]
/ ˈhoʊ kəsˈpoʊ kəs /
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See synonyms for: hocus-pocus / hocus-pocused / hocus-pocusing / hocus-pocussed on Thesaurus.com
noun
a meaningless chant or expression used in conjuring or incantation.
a juggler's trick; sleight of hand.
trickery; deception.
unnecessarily mysterious or elaborate activity or talk to cover up a deception, magnify a simple purpose, etc.
verb (used with object), ho·cus-po·cused, ho·cus-po·cus·ing or (especially British) ho·cus-po·cussed, ho·cus-po·cus·sing.
to play tricks on or with.
verb (used without object), ho·cus-po·cused, ho·cus-po·cus·ing or (especially British) ho·cus-po·cussed, ho·cus-po·cus·sing.
to perform tricks; practice trickery or deception.
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Origin of hocus-pocus

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

Words nearby hocus-pocus

hock leg, Hockney, hockshop, Hocktide, hocus, hocus-pocus, hod, ho-dad, hod carrier, hodden, Hodeida
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to hocus-pocus

abracadabra, artifice, cant, chant, charm, cheating, chicanery, conjuring, deceit, deception, delusion, flimflam, fraud, gibberish, hoax, humbug, imposture, incantation, jargon, juggling

How to use hocus-pocus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hocus-pocus

hocus-pocus
/ (ˈhəʊkəsˈpəʊkəs) /
noun
trickery or chicanery
mystifying jargon
an incantation used by conjurors or magicians when performing tricks
conjuring skill or practice
verb -cuses, -cusing, -cused, -cuses, -cussing or -cussed
to deceive or trick (someone)

Word Origin for hocus-pocus

C17: perhaps a dog-Latin formation invented by jugglers
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
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