bamboozled

1 of 2

adjective

bam·​boo·​zled bam-ˈbü-zəld 

informal

: thrown into a state of confusion or bewilderment especially by being deliberately fooled or misled

Some consumers are so bamboozled by slick sales talk that they pay extra for amazingly bad deals.

—Mike McClintock

I had him so bamboozled he didn't know which way was up.

—Jerry Spinelli

bamboozled

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of bamboozle

Examples of bamboozled in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The extra attention may have helped push the song to the top, but the way two programs presented Swift's appearances left some fans feeling bamboozled. — Bryan West, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026

She’s been canceled, kidnapped, and bamboozled, happy to tell anyone who’ll listen, and who’ll excuse her typos. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2026

The southpaw is renowned for his hand speed, his eye-catching footwork and his ability to find angles for punches, which can leave opponents bamboozled. — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 May 2026

But Behar was still a little bamboozled. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1866, in the meaning defined above