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
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
How could someone as young as Sisson already be brainwashed by big-money interests?
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2025
Justine and Archer eventually overpower and kill the pair, all while Alex is trying to hide from his parents, who are brainwashed into trying to kill him.
—William Earl, Variety, 9 Aug. 2025
Tommy McArdle, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
How could someone as young as Sisson already be brainwashed by big-money interests?
—Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 13 Aug. 2025
Justine and Archer eventually overpower and kill the pair, all while Alex is trying to hide from his parents, who are brainwashed into trying to kill him.
—William Earl, Variety, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainwash
Verb
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While speaking on a panel at the opening of the movie, which details the life and career of actor John Candy, who died at 43 in 1994, Reynolds revealed that his 2-year-old son, Olin, played a key part in convincing Bill Murray, 74, to have a role in the documentary.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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His life was going nowhere, until his brother Scott dragged him off the couch and convinced Dean to sign up with his acting coach, Bill Esper.—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But much like Howard Jarvis feared, the tax-and-spend interests have sought to destroy Proposition 13 ever since, most recently by persuading courts to carve loopholes in its constitutional protections and invent new ways for government agencies to raise revenue.—
Jon Coupal,
Oc Register,
7 Sep. 2025
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Elizabeth Stage, whose Oakland hills home barely escaped the deadly 1991 firestorm, and whose work as president of the Oakland FireSafe Council involves persuading residents to adopt Zone 0 measures, said the study would be a helpful, persuasive tool.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The anxiety-inducing thought of being left alone often causes dogs to plead with their owners.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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This typically leads to interconnected debt arrangements such that a default by a key market participant induces a cascade of defaults by other participants whose ability to cover their own debt obligations relied on parties who have defaulted.—
Hersh Shefrin,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The West Virginia native became the face of female boxing in the mid-1990s, covering Sports Illustrated and helping to bring attention and legitimacy to the sport.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
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The Chiefs brought a lot of blitzes.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Skinner believes a club like Manchester United should be attracting players of Rolfo’s calibre.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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This can take up to eight hours but will help remove trace odors that attract the animal back to the same spot to urinate.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There are tons of enticing cold and hot drinks.—
Michael Deeds,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Sep. 2025
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Responding to the demand, and hoping to entice younger shoppers into their financial ecosystems, payment facilitators such as Cash App, the BNPL provider Klarna, the fintech bank Chime, and even American Express have recently launched their own debit cards.—
Michael Waters,
The Atlantic,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Its proximity to its Southeast Asian neighbors, and the extensive migration between the countries, means Myanmar's distinctive culinary offerings are influenced by Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh and India.—
Sophie Carson,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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In a response posted to social media, Kennedy hit back at the pediatrics academy's criticism, implying that the organization's views were influenced by corporate pharmaceutical funders.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In that case, the second seat will be sold at the same fare as the original.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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Burmese shops in Milwaukee sell dozens of kinds of canned or jarred items, including pickled ginger, pickled dogfruit, taro root and lotus root.—
Sophie Carson,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Brainwash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainwash. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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