conflate

verb

con·​flate kən-ˈflāt 

conflated; conflating; conflates

transitive verb

1

a

: to bring together : blend

Even more often, outsiders conflate the couple, and credit them with each other's characteristics.

—Alison Lurie

This unsettling book—conflating journalism, personal reportage, sociology and philosophical inquiry …

—Rosemary Mahoney

b

: confuse

Given its name, St. Thomas in Houston has on occasion been conflated with St. Thomas in Minnesota …

—David Barron

2

: to combine (things, such as two versions of a text) into a composite whole

For there are two substantive texts, the quarto published in 1597 and the folio in 1623. Modern editions usually conflate the pair to produce what the editor judges to be the best and most plausible hybrid.

—Bill Overton

Did you know?

We’re not just blowing hot air when we tell you that conflate can actually be traced back to the same roots as the English verb blow. Conflate comes from conflatus, a form of the Latin verb conflare (“to blow together, to fuse”), which was formed by combining the prefix com-, meaning “with” or “together,” with the Latin verb flare, meaning “to blow.” Blow’s ancestor, the Old English word blāwan, shares an ancestor with flare. When two or more things are conflated, they are figuratively “blown together” either by someone’s confusion or ingenuity. Other descendants of flare in English include flavor, inflate, and, well, flatulent.

Synonyms of conflate

• confuse

Examples of conflate in a Sentence

be careful not to conflate gossip with real news

the movie conflates documentary footage and dramatized reenactments so seamlessly and ingeniously that viewers may not know what is real and what is not

Recent Examples on the Web

Don't conflate climate — the science of averages — with weather forecasts three days before the eclipse. —Jamie Carter, Space.com, 10 May 2026

Thorsen’s alleged crimes have, since his indictment, also become attractive fodder for conspiracy theorists, attempting to conflate his financial fraud with his medical research. —Sasha Pezenik, ABC News, 8 May 2026

Equating blanket surveillance with public safety conflates convenience with necessity. —Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 7 May 2026

Neighbors like the crypto mine next door to Shadden are what data center opponents want to avoid, though data center industry cautions against conflating the two. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin conflatus, past participle of conflare to blow together, fuse, from com- + flare to blow — more at blow

First Known Use

1557, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for conflate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

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Kids Definition

conflate

verb

con·​flate kən-ˈflāt 

conflated; conflating

1

: to bring together : blend

conflate history and fiction

2

: confuse sense 4