confound

verb

con·​found kən-ˈfau̇nd 

kän-

confounded; confounding; confounds

transitive verb

1

: to throw (a person) into confusion or perplexity

tactics to confound the enemy

2

a

: refute

sought to confound his arguments

b

: to put to shame : discomfit

a performance that confounded the critics

3

: damn

4

a

: to fail to discern differences between : mix up

They implored Charles not to confound the innocent with the guilty …

—T. B. Macaulay

b

: to increase the confusion of

5

a

: baffle, frustrate

Conferences … are not for accomplishment but to confound knavish tricks.

—John Kenneth Galbraith

b

archaic : to bring to ruin : destroy

6

obsolete : consume, waste

confounder

kən-ˈfau̇n-dər 

kän-

noun

confoundingly

kən-ˈfau̇n-diŋ-lē 

kän-

adverb

Synonyms of confound

• confuse
• perplex
• bewilder
• baffle
• puzzle

Choose the Right Synonym for confound

puzzle, perplex, bewilder, distract, nonplus, confound, dumbfound mean to baffle and disturb mentally.

puzzle implies existence of a problem difficult to solve.

the persistent fever puzzled the doctor

perplex adds a suggestion of worry and uncertainty especially about making a necessary decision.

a behavior that perplexed her friends

bewilder stresses a confusion of mind that hampers clear and decisive thinking.

a bewildering number of possibilities

distract implies agitation or uncertainty induced by conflicting preoccupations or interests.

distracted by personal problems

nonplus implies a bafflement that makes orderly planning or deciding impossible.

the remark left us utterly nonplussed

confound implies temporary mental paralysis caused by astonishment or profound abasement.

the tragic news confounded us all

dumbfound suggests intense but momentary confounding; often the idea of astonishment is so stressed that it becomes a near synonym of astound.

was at first too dumbfounded to reply

Examples of confound in a Sentence

The strategy confounded our opponents.

The murder case has confounded investigators.

The school's team confounded all predictions and won the game.

The success of the show confounded critics.

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike similar global gatherings, Semafor World Economy is first of all a festival of news, rooted in the revelatory power of good journalism, so our reporters and guest moderators asked challenging questions and hard follow-ups in the hope of understanding how leaders see this confounding moment. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026

Rupturing the northernmost 296 miles of the San Andreas Fault from northwest of San Juan Bautista to the triple junction at Cape Mendocino, the earthquake confounded contemporary geologists with its large, horizontal displacements and great rupture length. —Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 17 Apr. 2026

However, future data on the impact of minimum wages on a state’s economy may be hard to calculate given the confounding impacts of other policy changes, Reich said. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026

So far, the city, like the rest of the country, has had a way of confounding them and marching on. —Mina Al-Oraibi, Time, 14 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English confounden "to defeat, destroy, frustrate, bewilder," borrowed from Anglo-French confondre, going back to Latin confundere "to pour together, blend, bring into disorder, destroy, disconcert," from con- con- + fundere "to pour, shed" — more at found entry 5

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5b

Rhymes for confound

• abound
• aground
• around
• astound
• background
• campground
• clothbound
• earthbound
• eastbound
• expound
• fairground
• foreground

Kids Definition

confound

verb

con·​found kən-ˈfau̇nd 

kän-

1

: damn entry 1 sense 1

2

: to throw into disorder : mix up : confuse

our clever tactics confounded our opponents

confoundedly adverb