becloud

verb

bi-ˈklau̇d How to pronounce becloud (audio)
Definition of becloudnext
1
as in to confuse
to make (something) unclear to the understanding don't becloud the discussion by raising unrelated issues

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to obscure
to make dark, dim, or indistinct the smog from the city's steel mills was once so oppressive that it beclouded the local landscape even at noon

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of becloud But instead of sounding the alarm, defendants went out of their way to becloud the emerging scientific consensus. — Edward Fitzpatrick, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2019 His flacks and surrogates hand out scraps of information grudgingly, infrequently, and beclouded by fragrant eructations of doublespeak. — Charles Seife, Slate Magazine, 1 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for becloud
  1. confuse
  2. obscure
  3. obfuscate
  4. darken
  5. cloud
  6. blur
  7. blacken
Verb
  • At last week's race in Azerbaijan, Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas crashed on the last lap and reportedly blamed it on the software becoming confused and affecting his braking.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Immigrant parents there wanted help writing to their kids’ teachers and making sense of confusing forms.
    — Steven Choi, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of confuse
Verb
  • Aggregate data can obscure radically different labor market realities, and monetary policy calibrated only to the aggregate can miss the productive capacity sitting beneath it.
    — Katica Roy, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Racing on Crait kicks up those vibrant red dust clouds, which obscure the view of other racers and can even slow them down.
    — Hayes Madsen, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of obscure
Verb
  • We have been taught that such a system is too complex to dismantle, but it has been made complex to obfuscate the most obvious fact imaginable, which is that there is no justification, ever, for denying a sick person care.
    — Elizabeth Nicholas, Vanity Fair, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Throughout the history of the game, as concerned parties sought evidence, some of football’s most powerful protectors obfuscated the problem.
    — Emily Harrison, STAT, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of obfuscate
Verb
  • In its latest incarnation, designed by the firm S9, the curtain wall has darkened and the electronic billboards brightened, so that the tower resembles a TV mount, more apparatus than architecture.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Verity is immobile and catatonic, and Lowen learns that the family’s life is also darkened by a child’s accidental death.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of darken
Verb
  • Sube Shoten, a tofu maker founded in 1877 during Japan’s Meiji era, reportedly ceased operations in May and began preparing to file for bankruptcy as low profit margins and a recent surge in raw-material costs clouded its business outlook.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Gulf oil exporters topped prewar levels ​for about half of September, new shipping data showed on Monday, though attacks on tankers and logistical constraints cloud the outlook for ‌sustained higher flows.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of cloud
Verb
  • But even with 22 tracks to work with, the sound too often defaults to a similar muted backdrop, which blurs some of the less distinct songs together.
    — Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The move into podcasting marks another expansion for MasterClass, which has increasingly blurred the lines between online education and entertainment.
    — Anna Tingley, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of blur
Verb
  • Footage shot later at daybreak showed the house gutted, charred and blackened from the inside out.
    — Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Lines at Russian gas stations, crippled refineries, and images of burning oil depots blackening the sky lent credence to the narrative, as did blackouts and fuel shortages in Crimea.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of blacken

Browse Nearby Words

becks
becloud
beclouded
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Cite this Entry

“Becloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/becloud. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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