Hokum is nonsense deliberately designed to fool or manipulate people. When a carnival barker makes exaggerated claims about a “miraculous” cure-all medicine that's really just sugar water, that's hokum. When a politician makes promises they have no intention of keeping just to win votes, critics might call it hokum.

The word suggests something phony or insincere that's dressed up to seem impressive or believable. Hokum involves actively trying to deceive, not an honest mistake or being misinformed. A student who didn't study might try feeding their teacher some hokum about why their homework isn't done, inventing an elaborate story they hope sounds convincing.

Hokum often involves emotional appeals or dramatic flair to distract from the lack of real substance. Old-fashioned medicine shows were famous for their hokum, with performers putting on entertaining acts while selling worthless “tonics.” Today you might encounter hokum in misleading advertisements, dubious internet claims, or from anyone trying to sound authoritative about something they don't actually understand.

When you call something hokum, you're saying it's nonsense with a purpose: to trick, impress, or manipulate. It's stronger than just calling something silly or wrong. You're pointing out that someone is being deliberately phony.