confuse

verb

con·fuse | \ kən-ˈfyüz

confused; confusing

Definition of confuse

1 : to disturb in mind or purpose : throw off The directions she gave confused us.

2a : to make indistinct : blur Stop confusing the issue.

b : to fail to differentiate from an often similar or related other confuse money with comfort Do not confuse the words "flaunt" and "flout".

c : to mix indiscriminately : jumble Their arms, legs, and bodies were confused together, till they resembled … two serpents interlaced.— Thomas Medwin

3a : to make embarrassed : abash

4 archaic : to bring to ruin

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Examples of confuse in a Sentence

The general was trying to confuse the enemy. The new evidence only confused matters further. You must be confusing me with someone else.

Recent Examples on the Web

Investors would be forgiven for being confused by the messages coming from the Chinese government this week. — Mike Bird, WSJ, "Chinese Deleveraging is Dead, Long Live Chinese Deleveraging!," 26 Feb. 2019 While Grey's fans were stoked to catch a glimpse of what's to come, many were instantly confused by the fact that Meredith was visiting her father. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Watch the Most Emotional 'Grey’s Anatomy' Scene So Far in Season 15," 31 Jan. 2019 As the shots rang, the classmates looked at one another, some confused by the sound. — New York Times, "‘Are We Going to Die Today?’ Inside a Parkland Classroom as Bullets Flew," 6 June 2018 Not to be confused with atopic dermatitis (also known as eczema), contact dermatitis is a red, itchy rash that can emerge when a substance aggravates your skin in some way, according to the Mayo Clinic. — Jessica Toscano, SELF, "Here's What It Means If You Got a Skin Reaction From Your Makeup," 1 Mar. 2019 Musk’s vision for the underground tunnels is not to be confused with another of his transportation concepts known as hyperloop. — Amanda Lee Myers, The Seattle Times, "Elon Musk’s new tunnel ‘a little rough around the edges’," 19 Dec. 2018 The restaurant—not to be confused with the Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse chain, which came later—was the quintessential American celebrity restaurant. — Michael Rosenberg, SI.com, "Inside The Woods, Tiger's Star-Studded Restaurant in Jupiter," 12 June 2018 Marshall-Green, perhaps best-known so far as the dude who tons of people got confused for Tom Hardy in Spider-Man: Homecoming, turns in a career-best performance. — Tom Philip, GQ, "Upgrade Review: Summer's Perfect B-Movie Is Here," 1 June 2018 Postpartum depression can be a distressing, often confusing, experience for new parents. — Sarah Jacoby, SELF, "Chrissy Teigen First Noticed Her Postpartum Depression Symptoms 3 Months After Giving Birth," 2 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'confuse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.