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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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
Verb
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The California Department of Public Health is urging people to avoid mushroom foraging altogether this year because death cap mushrooms are easily confused with safe, edible varieties.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Germany's exact medal count is a point of contention because Germany has not always competed in each Olympics as a unified country, which can lead to confusing medal counts.—
Aliza Chasan,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The video is obscured at that point.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Mendonça uses these surreal flourishes to reimagine the country of his youth—a place where gruesome crimes were committed by people determined to obscure the evidence.—
Stephania Taladrid,
New Yorker,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Lawyers for the group contend that the city is willfully obfuscating to cover up its inadequate efforts to live up to its settlement.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
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Instead, DeSantis unleashed a rambling recap of the past seven years, with plenty of unsourced statistics, claims of victory that aren’t supported by reality, and wording often designed to obfuscate the most controversial parts of his tenure.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In a photo posted to Instagram and liked by Visit Fort Worth, the city’s tourism bureau, the man in question appears to be wearing makeup to darken his complexion.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Feb. 2026
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Simon also said that darkening retail doors can be filled by growing businesses as Life Time health clubs, House of Sports, which is a relatively new concept from Dick’s Sporting Goods, and space can be repurposed to mixed uses, including outdoor uses.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Skies will cloud over late afternoon into this evening, but the weather will remain dry.—
Steven Sosna,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
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But that shouldn’t cloud MLSE’s decision on the direction of this team.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With proper application, the blurring balm powder keeps makeup in place for hours on end with minimal touch-ups needed.—
Essence Wiley,
InStyle,
7 Feb. 2026
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As Hal witnesses crisis and inequality firsthand, the line between observing and acting begins to blur.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And Hanceville’s fate is as murky as the fog that pours in at night, blotting out buildings and blackening the road ahead.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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These tungsten atoms would then condense on the slightly cooler inside of the glass bulb, blackening it and dimming the light over time.—
Natalia Sánchez Loayza,
Scientific American,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Becloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/becloud. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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