confuse
Americanverb (used with object)
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to perplex or bewilder.
The flood of questions confused me.
-
to make unclear or indistinct.
The rumors and angry charges tended to confuse the issue.
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to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake; confound.
to confuse dates;
He always confuses the twins.
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to disconcert or abash.
His candor confused her.
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to combine without order; jumble; disorder.
Try not to confuse the papers on the desk.
- Synonyms:
- disturb, disarrange, disarray
-
Archaic. to bring to ruin or naught.
verb
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to bewilder; perplex
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to mix up (things, ideas, etc); jumble
-
to make unclear
he confused his talk with irrelevant details
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to fail to recognize the difference between; mistake (one thing) for another
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to disconcert; embarrass
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to cause to become disordered
the enemy ranks were confused by gas
Related Words
Confuse, disconcert, embarrass imply temporary interference with the clear working of one's mind. To confuse is to produce a general bewilderment: to confuse someone by giving complicated directions. To disconcert is to disturb one's mind by irritation, perplexities, etc.: to disconcert someone by asking irrelevant questions. To embarrass is to cause one to be ill at ease or uncomfortable, so that one's usual judgment and presence of mind desert one: to embarrass someone by unexpected rudeness.
Other Word Forms
- confusability noun
- confusable adjective
- confusably adverb
- preconfuse verb (used with object)
- reconfuse verb (used with object)
- unconfusable adjective
- unconfusably adverb
Etymology
Origin of confuse
First recorded in 1300–50; from Old French confus “perplexed,” from Latin confūsus “mixed, poured,” past participle of confundere; confound
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.
Picking up best pop act, Dean squealed "no way" and added: "Pop music is kind of confusing. I don't really know what it means but I think it's about togetherness and making people feel good."
From BBC
The order, accompanied by an AI-generated illustration of a World War II-era hospital ship flying the U.S. flag, was confusing to many, and justifiably so.
From Salon
"The Border Patrol officers had no protocol of what to do with the disabled man who doesn't speak English, who is confused and lost," he said.
From BBC
Fears and uncertainty about the impact artificial intelligence will have on the U.S. economy, workforce, and stocks have caused markets to whipsaw and continue to confuse investors.
From Barron's
At this point, even a dedicated Spiritualist admitted, “The replies were confused.”
From Literature
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.
