Definition of confuse
confused
;confusing
transitive verb
1 archaic : to bring to ruin
2a : to make embarrassed : abashb : to disturb in mind or purpose : throw off The directions she gave confused us.
3a : to make indistinct : blur Stop confusing the issue.b : to mix indiscriminately : jumble Their arms, legs, and bodies were confused together, till they resembled … two serpents interlaced. — Thomas Medwinc : to fail to differentiate from an often similar or related other confuse money with comfort Do not confuse the words “flaunt” and “flout”.
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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 of confuse from the Web
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But others admit to finding the experience confusing.
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Community members questioned the story and wondered if, since the sheriff’s deputies confused a knife with a pen, that maybe witnesses did, too.
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The FABBS letter also predicts that including a wider range of studies on clinicaltrials.gov, which many patients use to find trials that are seeking participants, will confuse the public by clogging the database with irrelevant studies.
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But the arrest affidavit says the witnesses, friends of the victim, may have confused two unrelated incidents.
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The second coming of the high-quality Model F (not to be confused with its more affordable plastic successor, the Model M) isn't a throwback attention grab from IBM, nor a nostalgia play from Big Keyboard.
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The unique spot — not to be confused with Mounds State Recreation Area in Brookville, — is the oldest religious site in the state, and among the oldest in the nation.
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Not to be confused with denim, where cotton yarns are woven in a twill pattern, chambray's plain weave if what makes the fabric stay cool in the heat but hold its shape better than wrinkle-prone linen.
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Read more: Why Business in India Will (Probably) Get Easier: QuickTake Q&A Businesses are confused by a complicated structure, which includes four tax slabs ranging from 5 percent to 28 percent and numerous exemptions.
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.
Origin and Etymology of confuse
back-formation from Middle English confused frustrated, ruined, from Anglo-French confus, from Latin confusus, past participle of confundere
CONFUSE Defined for English Language Learners
confuse
playDefinition of confuse for English Language Learners
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: to make (someone) uncertain or unable to understand something
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: to make (something) difficult to understand
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: to mistakenly think that one person or thing is another person or thing : to mistake (one person or thing) for another
CONFUSE Defined for Kids
Learn More about confuse
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See words that rhyme with confuse Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for confuse Spanish Central: Translation of confuse Nglish: Translation of confuse for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of confuse for Arabic speakers
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