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
-
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
“We’ve always been interested in how music impacts the mentally ill, but some scientists shun the idea of researching this because it’s been viewed as hocus pocus,” he said.
From Washington Times • Oct. 6, 2018
“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
Or you could say it was an unintended pulling back of the curtain on all the hocus pocus that goes into healthcare costs.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2016
"Cheer up, man," he cried; "you've got off light, for there's no a scratch on your lily-white cheek, and the blood-letting from the nose will clear out the dregs of Moro's hocus."
From Salute to Adventurers by Buchan, John
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.
