confuse

verb con·fuse \ kən-ˈfyüz \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Examples: confuse in a Sentence

Definition of confuse

confused; confusing

transitive verb

1 archaic : to bring to ruin

2 a : to make embarrassed : abash

b : to disturb in mind or purpose : throw off

The directions she gave confused us.

3 a : 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 Medwin

c : to fail to differentiate from an often similar or related other

confuse money with comfort

Do not confuse the words "flaunt" and "flout".

—

confusingly

play \kən-ˈfyü-ziŋ-lē\ adverb

See confuse defined for English-language learners

See confuse defined for kids

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

They will be interviewed by many border patrol agents who will often threaten them, confuse them, and perhaps even falsify their answers in order to prevent them from continuing in the process.

— luis mancheno, CBS News, "Analysis: How the asylum process works, and how it needs to change," 8 June 2018
Complex driver assistance systems can behave in ways that surprise and confuse drivers, leading to deadly accidents if the driver's attention wavers for just a few seconds.

— timothy b. lee, Ars Technica, "Why emergency braking systems sometimes hit parked cars and lane dividers," 8 June 2018
Be wary of those who offer their opinion too quickly; those who speak almost immediately before hearing you out may be trying to help, but their stronger voices can tend to confuse and cloud your judgement. 4.

— carrie goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "10 Mistakes to Avoid When Shopping for a Wedding Dress," 5 June 2018
That's left many Democratic voters confused and almost despairing over which candidate to support to avoid losing the seat to Republicans on Tuesday.

— ronald brownstein, CNN, "How Democrats' California dream got twisted," 5 June 2018
Davida Hall, founder of The Lipstick Lobby, says that the brand shouldn't be confused with other beauty companies that donate to charity.

— refinery29.com, "School Shooting Survivors Are Making Their Voices Heard — Through Lipstick," 29 May 2018
Such statements have confused and irritated some in the Trump administration who view the regulatory rollback as the biggest step possible to help car makers lower costs and stay in tune with consumer demand.

— chester dawson, WSJ, "Trump Administration Irked With Car Makers on Fuel-Economy Policy," 10 May 2018
Though director Zack Snyder remained faithful in his adaptation of Moore’s complex work, newcomers to the story ended up slightly confused, and many hardcore fans chose to ignore it altogether.

— jennifer m. wood, WIRED, "The 11 Best Comic Book Movies You Can Stream Right Now," 4 May 2018
Pearson’s epiphany, and his subsequent battles with the church, were confusing for both parties, and Marston seeks to underscore that with nuance.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "Come Sunday Is an Uneven Biopic of Faith and Dissent," 12 Apr. 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.

Origin and Etymology of confuse

Middle English confusen, back-formation from confused "frustrated, ruined," participle based on Anglo-French confus, borrowed from Latin confūsus, past participle of confundere "to pour together, blend, bring into disorder, destroy, disconcert" — more at confound

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

confuse Synonyms

CONFUSE Defined for English Language Learners

confuse

verb

Definition of confuse for English Language Learners

: to make (someone) uncertain or unable to understand something
: to make (something) difficult to understand
: to mistakenly think that one person or thing is another person or thing : to mistake (one person or thing) for another