hogwash
Americannoun
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refuse given to hogs; swill.
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any worthless stuff.
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meaningless or insincere talk, writing, etc.; nonsense; bunk.
noun
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informal nonsense
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pigswill
Etymology
Origin of hogwash
1400–50; 1900–05 hogwash for def. 2; late Middle English. See hog, wash
Explanation
Hogwash is complete nonsense, lies, or ridiculous actions. If an advertisement claims that taking one vitamin pill a day will make you ten times stronger, that's hogwash. The informal hogwash is perfect for talking about falsehoods and foolishness. Your little brother may insist that his lemonade stand will make him a millionaire this summer, but you know that's hogwash. And many politicians give long speeches that seem, in retrospect, to be nothing but hogwash. The word has seen a dramatic evolution, from the fifteenth century "slops fed to pigs," to "cheap liquor" in the 1700s, to "inferior writing" towards the end of the eighteenth century.
Vocabulary lists containing hogwash
Wait, What? Confusing Compound Words
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Nothing But the Truth
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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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.
Hog Island’s Pro Shuckers Kit includes everything you need: a wood-handled Olympia oyster knife, a pair of shucking gloves, hot sauce, Hogwash mignonette, and 36 gorgeous oysters.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025
Hogwash, star linebacker Von Miller shot back a day later.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 28, 2021
The $40,000 stretch of land, 6,000 feet high and zoned for cattle grazing, bordered on National Forest and was near a cougar-inhabited gorge called Hogwash Canyon.
From Reuters • Jun. 5, 2020
"Hogwash is what I would say," Scott responded.
From Fox News • Jan. 30, 2020
I repeat, Hogwash, puckering for the ending of ssssshhhhhh.
From "Inside Out and Back Again" by Thanhha Lai
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.
