as in to convince
to cause (someone) to think or believe something by using methods that make a person unable to think normally
Terrorists brainwashed the prisoners. Does advertising brainwash children?
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Recent Examples of brainwash
Her home, District 12, has been destroyed and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) has been brainwashed by President Snow.
—
Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Oct. 2025
There, Evelyn uses psychedelic drugs and psychological manipulation to brainwash them into joining the local community, which is, in fact, just a commune of Evelyn’s cultists.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Maybe Maurice wasn’t too far off on his hunch that the teens were being brainwashed into spy material.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
But Emma’s frustrated by how brainwashed Sam is.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
California high school senior Hadeel Hazameh believes she was brainwashed.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2025
They’re being brainwashed in school.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Harry and William had a 72-hour argument via text in which William accused Harry of being brainwashed by therapy and Harry appealed unsuccessfully for William to join him for a session.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
The movie, a satire of the fashion industry, follows his male model character Derek Zoolander as the villainous mogul Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell) attempts to brainwash Derek into assassinating the prime minister of Malaysia.
—Tommy McArdle, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Oct. 2025
There, Evelyn uses psychedelic drugs and psychological manipulation to brainwash them into joining the local community, which is, in fact, just a commune of Evelyn’s cultists.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Maybe Maurice wasn’t too far off on his hunch that the teens were being brainwashed into spy material.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
But Emma’s frustrated by how brainwashed Sam is.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
California high school senior Hadeel Hazameh believes she was brainwashed.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2025
They’re being brainwashed in school.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Harry and William had a 72-hour argument via text in which William accused Harry of being brainwashed by therapy and Harry appealed unsuccessfully for William to join him for a session.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
The movie, a satire of the fashion industry, follows his male model character Derek Zoolander as the villainous mogul Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell) attempts to brainwash Derek into assassinating the prime minister of Malaysia.
—Tommy McArdle, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainwash
Verb
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Halbach's family members told PEOPLE that they are convinced of Avery's guilt, however.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Thankfully, there’s still plenty of time to convince King not to leave the show since nothing is for certain.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In 1865, the Vatican News said, university professor Vincenzo Pepe persuaded Longo to ditch satanism.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
30 Oct. 2025
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All's Fair, attempting to persuade costar Sarah Paulson that Aldrin didn't actually land on the moon.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The 2025 postseason, which ended when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays in the 11th inning of the seventh game of an ulcer-inducing World Series, stands with any in baseball history.—
Steve Rushin,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
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This results in a predictably dread-inducing sequence in which Teddy rushes to his mother's long-term care facility and feeds antifreeze into her IV line, killing her.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Though Houlihan Lokey bought Triago 18 months ago, each side is already bringing the other big benefits.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
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Trump’s meeting with Xi ended in a trade agreement that called for the US to lower tariffs on China by 10%, bringing the effective rate on Chinese exports down to 47%; and for China to delay some export controls on rare earths and resume purchases of American soybeans.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Epstein attributes the hill’s popularity to the fans COTA attracts, drawing a comparison to the fans that pack mountainsides and hilly areas during the Tour de France cycling race each July.—
Patrick Iversen,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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By the 1970s, Colma's western edge attracted car dealerships and later big box stores, a rail transit station and apartments.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Africa’s leading banking groups are targeting DR Congo, enticed by one of the continent’s fastest-growing economies and the promise of a lucrative mining sector, despite the ongoing conflict in the country’s east.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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There were questions swirling over whether Nintendo’s Switch 2 would be different enough from its predecessor to entice users.—
Arjun Kharpal,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In a city heavily influenced by Buddhism and Taoism, living in apartments associated with ghastly deaths often stokes fear of bad fortune.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
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The finding could also influence other technologies that rely on magnetic and electronic properties, from MRI machines to maglev trains and even superconductors.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag More than 24,400 shoppers have given the best-selling Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag, which comes in 19 vibrant and neutral colors, a five-star stamp of approval — and for good reason.—
Averi Baudler,
PEOPLE,
30 Oct. 2025
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That one — Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures) — sold at Christie’s New York for $90 million, breaking the $58 million record set by Jeff Koons’ Balloon Dog (Orange) for the most expensive artwork by a living artist sold at auction.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brainwash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainwash. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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