bamboozle

verb

bam-ˈbü-zəl How to pronounce bamboozle (audio)
Definition of bamboozlenext
1
as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue bamboozled by con men into buying worthless land in the desert

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to confuse
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty I'm completely bamboozled by the latest changes in the tax code

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bamboozle But if Rodgers and Newton are right about fake vaccination cards being a thing around the NFL at the time, there was apparently much bamboozling being done by a number of people. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 Aug. 2026 Watch Daizen Maeda’s strike against Sweden, a delightful one- and two-touch passing move that bamboozled the opposition defense. — David Hickey, NBC news, 29 June 2026 To enter this anniversary uncritically — wrapped in flags and the mythology of manifest destiny — is to be bamboozled. — Otis Moss Iii, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026 Authentic leaders don’t bamboozle or swindle their teams with stories that aren't true. — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 7 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bamboozle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bamboozle
  1. deceive
  2. confuse
  3. trick
  4. baffle
  5. fool
  6. bewilder
  7. perplex
  8. puzzle
Verb
  • Some veterans say recruiters deceived them and Haitian authorities tortured them; their families call them scapegoats.
    — Astrid Suárez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Some of the Colombians have long maintained that they were deceived about the mission and arrived at the home after Moïse had already been killed.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceive
Verb
  • Bill Belichick has made a Hall of Fame career on confusing young quarterbacks.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Splitter praises his movement on and off the ball, which seems to visibly confuse opposing defenses.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of confuse
Verb
  • Those conducting the online scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals -- many Chinese -- tricked themselves into work and held in prison-like compounds.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But a few times in recent years, Hollins, a veterinarian, tricked Jonathan and slid a cotton swab into the giant tortoise’s mouth to get a saliva sample.
    — Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of trick
Verb
  • But Danny Niemela, a contractor at ArDan Construction, says that the process baffles him.
    — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Beyond being frustrated with the secrecy, locals said they were baffled by the lack of specifics and clarity the stakeholders had about the project, per the records.
    — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of baffle
Verb
  • As temperatures drop in the fall, aphids, like other garden pests, are less active, but don’t be fooled by appearances.
    — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Don’t be fooled by the big numbers that these guys throw around in their ballots.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fool
Verb
  • Latif is conflicted by his double life, bewildered by his doubling of parental responsibilities, constantly trying to think two moves ahead yet always ending up three steps behind.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Dan emerges as Primetime’s unlikely heart, bewildered by the dark world he’s wandered into and left to negotiate his ambitions with the high stakes of the job.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bewilder
Verb
  • At Telluride, Fielder, who had initially planned to stay behind the scenes, admitted he was still perplexed by the couple’s openness.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • They were perplexed at first, flummoxed, but pleasant, and unfortunately for them, already long gone from the airport.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of perplex
Verb
  • To read her book is to be reminded that childhood can be a puzzling passage for anyone, even in an ostensibly simpler time and place.
    — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2026
  • That the Houthis are able to score hits from 500 miles away, despite the Saudi military spending tens of billions of dollars on multi-layered air defense systems, has puzzled experts.
    — Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of puzzle

Browse Nearby Words

bambinos
bamboozle
bamboozled
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Cite this Entry

“Bamboozle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bamboozle. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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