1
as in tricked
to cause to believe what is untrue
bamboozled by con men into buying worthless land in the desert
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in baffled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
I'm completely bamboozled by the latest changes in the tax code
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bamboozled
Way back in 2018, Gaines and Riley were running split-back formations and leaving opposing defenses bamboozled while playing for the 12-and-under Moreno Valley Falcons in the heart of Southern California.
—
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
Lenders are more easily bamboozled by fake spreadsheets than by fake factories.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 27 Mar. 2026
Lenders are more easily bamboozled by fake spreadsheets than by fake factories.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 11 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bamboozled
Verb
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How the PayPal refund scam tricked Brian Oliver had never heard of a crypto ATM before that day.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Tim tricked me into Tyler talking to my parents about their upcoming Alaska trip.—
Ashlyn Robinette,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His gift is an uncanny ability to solve crimes that leave the LAPD baffled, armed only with the savvy and dry humor reminiscent of the gumshoe detectives of the noir genre.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
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During our overnight coverage on CNN, Jim Sciutto pointed out that people watching in other countries are baffled by this American attribute.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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He had been fooled a couple of times by the slider during the sequence but didn’t miss the third one Sasaki threw him.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Mbappé broke the deadlock in the 30th minute with a shot that deflected on an Alaves defender and fooled goalkeeper Antonio Sivera.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Valve’s upcoming Steam Controller (not to be confused with the 2015 controller of the same name) is the Steam maker’s effort to replace those controllers with something more explicitly designed for the PC, and for the upcoming Steam Machine.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
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The venomous coral snake does not have the telltale arrowhead shape and can often be confused with the nonvenomous kingsnake.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But some were also deceived or coerced.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Musk, who had donated at least $38 million to the lab, wanted to be CEO and gain majority control, but felt deceived after a power struggle with Altman over the role.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The mass unemployment everyone feared is still missing Initial jobless claims rose to 214,000 in the most recent week surveyed but the overall trend remains down and Wall Street is slightly puzzled as to why.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
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The city’s handling of its project to improve Clairemont’s Olive Grove Park, which has been underway for nearly two years, has left the community puzzled.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gasly seems faintly bewildered by the designation.—
Maxwell Adler,
Vanity Fair,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Netizens were bewildered by the latest pivot, resulting in plenty of mockery on social media.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As Season 3 of Euphoria continues to stir up some controversy, one of the show’s stars is perplexed by Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) OnlyFans storyline.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
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Baer appeared perplexed by this coy pretense of innocence.—
Patrick Radden Keefe,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bamboozled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bamboozled. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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