qanon

Proper noun capitalized: QAnon

QAnon

1. (US) An anonymous poster on the Internet message boards 4chan, 8chan and 8kun, claiming to possess Q clearance, who originated a pro-Trump conspiracy theory claiming that Donald Trump is working against a cabal of Satanic, cannibalistic pedophiles comprised of his political opponents.
   • In October, an anonymous 4chan account began making cryptic posts about earth-changing political and judicial events to come. Ever since then, conspiracy theorists, journalists, and amused observers have speculated about who was behind the account that has come to be known as QAnon.2018 May 29, Mike Rothschild, “Who is Q Anon, the internet’s most mysterious poster?”, in The Daily Dot
   • The question “Who is the most hilarious person QAnon could turn out to be?” yielded thousands of responses. Here are the best and most common ones.2018 August 6, Joe Berkowitz, “Who is the mastermind behind QAnon? Twitter has some fun theories”, in Fast Company

   Synonyms:

   Q

2. (US) The conspiracy theory originated by this anonymous poster.
   • These bizarre results, first spotted by the NBC reporter Ben Collins, are not the result of the latest #MeToo era investigation reporting. Instead, they are the entirely unsubstantiated manifestation of a sprawling rightwing conspiracy theory known as QAnon.
   • […] Joseph Uscinski, a University of Miami professor who studies conspiracy theories, said by phone that QAnon remains a “fringe” belief held by “a very small number of people”.2018 July 31, Julia Carrie Wong, “What is QAnon? Explaining the bizarre rightwing conspiracy theory”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms:

   The Storm

3. (US) The movement supporting this conspiracy theory.
   • If QAnon's claims were true, they would shake the very foundations of global government and explain the confusion of politics in recent years. As it is, they are not true – but their importance could nonetheless be hugely significant.2018 August 2, Andrew Griffin, “What is QAnon? The origins of the bizarre conspiracy theory claiming that Trump-Russia investigation is a hoax to catch pedophiles”, in The Independent
   • A group dubbed "QAnon" has emerged at Trump campaign events recently. They follow and try to decipher the online posts of someone named "Q", who traffics in conspiracy theories focused on people in government and media.2018 August 3, Jeff Brady, “QAnon: The Conspiracy Theorist Group That Appears At Trump Rallies”, in NPR