humbug
Americannoun
-
humbugs
plural
-
something intended to delude or deceive.
- Synonyms:
- imposition
-
the quality of falseness or deception.
-
a person who is not what they claim or pretend to be; impostor.
-
something devoid of sense or meaning; nonsense.
a humbug of technical jargon.
-
British. a variety of hard mint candy.
verb (used with object)
-
humbugs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
humbugged,
past participle, past
-
humbugging
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
humbugs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
humbugged,
past participle, past
-
humbugging
present participle
interjection
noun
-
a person or thing that tricks or deceives
-
nonsense; rubbish
-
a hard boiled sweet, usually flavoured with peppermint and often having a striped pattern
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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humbugsimple
-
humbugssimple
-
have humbuggedperfect
-
has humbuggedperfect
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am humbuggingprogressive
-
are humbuggingprogressive
-
is humbuggingprogressive
-
have been humbuggingperfect progressive
-
has been humbuggingperfect progressive
Past
-
humbuggedsimple
-
had humbuggedperfect
-
was humbuggingprogressive
-
were humbuggingprogressive
-
had been humbuggingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of humbug
First recorded in 1730–40; origin uncertain
Explanation
Humbug is language that's either deceptive or just ridiculous. Either way, it's verbal garbage and inspires people to mutter "Bah! Humbug!" — just like Scrooge did in A Christmas Carol. Humbug is one of many words in English for language that can't be trusted. Humbug is like snake oil: it's deceptive, tricky, and meant to put one over on you. There's a slightly different type of humbug that refers to nonsense: speech or writing that's silly, pretentious, or just empty. When someone is talking a lot but saying nothing, they're talking humbug.
Vocabulary lists containing humbug
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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"Politics and the English Language" by George Orwell
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The Time Machine
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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.
See Examples For:
Spoto’s work is not fully dismissed, but he’s often thought of as something of an academic humbug.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
In a clever touch, Sphere lets us continue to see the monstrous green face, now neutered and ridiculous, mouth along as the panicked geek apologizes for being a humbug.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2025
If holiday clutter has you more bah humbug than merry, these tips from professional organizers around Seattle might make your life easier before and after the holidays, and well into the new year.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
She added: "She was 43 years without my father, 30 years without a cigarette and 20 years without a drink but never without a humbug."
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2023
Dat caution you talkin’ ’bout ain’t nothin’ but uh humbug.
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
“He used these humbugs, as he called them, to create excitement and bring people in,” Wilson says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026
Joined by his wife Katie, he plunges into another assignment, as he tries to get the "spirit of Christmas" back from the dastardly humbugs.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2024
In Poe’s lifetime, a handful of well-connected American scientists advanced plans to build national institutions to distinguish “real working men in the way of science” from charlatans, quacks, and humbugs.
From Slate ● Aug. 2, 2021
Chronicling the history of such fakers as Smelcer, Young offers a long history of the hoax, beginning with a series of famous humbugs from P. T. Barnum’s sideshow.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2017
Hagrid’s coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets — bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags ... finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
“Because,” he added, “Although I ain’t been in the city long, I ain’t to be humbugged; it won’t do for you to try to put off your confounded mock turtles on me!”
From Slate ● Apr. 29, 2018
P. T. Barnum recorded the fact that the American people delight in being humbugged, and such is still the national mood.
From Time Magazine Archive
The sooner America knows we are not going to be humbugged the better it is.
From Time Magazine Archive
They who suffer themselves to be humbugged and fleeced by him have their own stupidity to thank for it.
From The Progressionists, and Angela. by Conrad von Bolanden
And so she would send them away relieved of cash, but with their pockets full of medicine, and minds full of faith, and humbugged to their heart's content.
From The Cloister and the Hearth A Tale of the Middle Ages by Charles Reade
Stranded in his "useless position" at Transport, Reith seethed while Churchill put together his "rotten" wartime coalition full of "humbugging and sycophantic" ministers.
From Time Magazine Archive
All the members of Parliament used to be skylarking about the city, playing tricks on one another, and humbugging the Castle people.
From Jack Hinton The Guardsman by Charles James Lever
Hullo!" he said, swaggering up to the orchestra, "what's this humbugging thing they're playing?
From Some Experiences of an Irish R.M. by Martin Ross
Deuce take it, sir, you know you are only humbugging me,—what's the use of talking about it?”
From Uncle's dream; And The Permanent Husband by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
What's the good of going on humbugging, and pretending, and making ourselves utterly wretched?
From Plays: Lady Frederick, The Explorer, A Man of Honor by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham
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.
