bemuses

verb

present tense third-person singular of bemuse
1
as in intrigues
to hold the attention of a public that seemed more bemused by the shenanigans of celebrities than by a war being waged half a world away

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bewilders
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty the stage mishap momentarily bemused the actress

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bemuses
  1. intrigues
  2. bewilders
  3. interests
  4. confuses
  5. fascinates
  6. perplexes
  7. occupies
  8. baffles
Verb
  • What intrigues you about taking this fish, who’s been out of water, and throwing him back into familiar waters?
    — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The novel that will form the basis of Reacher’s now-in-production fifth season, 2015’s Make Me, finds Reacher visiting a midwestern hamlet called Mother’s Rest because the town’s name intrigues him.
    — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of intrigues
Verb
  • As fans of the comedian know, Ali G is a streetwise interviewer whose hip hop slang often bewilders guests such as Noam Chomsky, Andy Rooney and Newt Gingrich.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 7 July 2026
  • The narrator and his wife find that their attachment to the charismatic and cryptic Chibi grows with the cat’s increasing visits, in a way that bewilders them but somehow bonds them closer together.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Definition of bewilders
Verb
  • What interests me most is the possibility of giving doctors another set of highly capable eyes.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Follow what interests you without needing to come home with a grand revelation.
    — Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of interests
Verb
  • The legal system dehumanizes her, the support group confuses her, and one of her friends painfully disappoints her.
    — Carey Purcell, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2026
  • This confuses each Nyota but also those around them, who note that the Nyotas have rather quickly assumed new hairstyles but also that neither is behaving quite like herself.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of confuses
Verb
  • Amid all the con artists and fraudsters this century has produced, Holmes is the one who fascinates us the most.
    — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The reaction to this movie fascinates me, starting in Cannes.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of fascinates
Verb
  • This sort of manipulation produces volatility and perplexes markets.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But the unknown in that equation is what perplexes the Mavericks and has the team stuck for now.
    — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 1 Jan. 2026
Definition of perplexes
Verb
  • Strikes target strategic island Qeshm Island occupies a critical position near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The Walnut Room occupies a 17,000-square-foot space on the seventh floor of the former Marshall Field and Company Building and is the first and longest-running department store restaurant, opening in 1907 as the South Tea Room.
    — Allison Yates, Midwest Living, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of occupies
Verb
  • But Danny Niemela, a contractor at ArDan Construction, says that the process baffles him.
    — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, McGrew agreed to adjustments, including adding baffles to reduce sound from a attached generator for the tower and replacing tower fencing that incorporated barbed wire with taller, more natural looking fencing.
    — Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
Definition of baffles
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.

Browse Nearby Words

bemusements
bemuses
bemusing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bemuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bemuses. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of abandon

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All