as in lobbying
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as in convincing
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 brainwashing
Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Conspiracies and brainwashing In Argentina, there was the troubling disappearance of five-year-old Loan Peña in Corrientes province.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Erin Qualey, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brainwashing
Noun
Hale connects that story to another tale that took place in the same wilderness twenty years earlier—a story of a cult, brainwashing, teenage prophets, and murder.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
Conspiracies and brainwashing In Argentina, there was the troubling disappearance of five-year-old Loan Peña in Corrientes province.
—Agustino Fontevecchia, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
Maurice is convinced that Tall Pines is brainwashing teens and then sending them to who-knows-where to work as spies.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for brainwashing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainwashing
Noun
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That arrangement is unusual, said Craig Holman, an expert on ethics, lobbying and campaign finance rules at the nonprofit, Public Citizen.—
Huo Jingnan,
NPR,
17 Apr. 2026
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And the same right-leaning lobbying group, the Foundation for Government Accountability, testified in favor of these measures in Arizona, Indiana, and Missouri.—
Samantha Liss,
CBS News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The next step for you would be to contact the police department in your community and ask for help in convincing your son he is being scammed.—
Abigail Van Buren,
Boston Herald,
22 Apr. 2026
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Part of convincing him to do the play was not so much selling him on the material but selling him on the act of doing theater.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Once dismissed as a side hustle or vanity career, social media influencing has rapidly evolved into one of the most lucrative—and measurable—jobs in the modern economy.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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We are faced with a next generation of AI-enabled influencing that is readily undertaken on a massive scale.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Working from his own screenplay, Cronin barrels over the gaping plot holes — a doctor might have some thoughts here — and gets to the good stuff with the family at home in squirm-inducing close quarters, a live-in demon resting in her bedroom.—
Joshua Rothkopf,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
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Paramount showed off the first trailer of the cringe-inducing stunt series’ fifth and final entry at CinemaCon, the annual convention for movie theater owners held in Las Vegas.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Judge Jeffrey Clymer sentenced McCoy to 5 years on the child seduction charge, but suspended 3 1/2 years to be served on probation.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
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Trust your powers of seduction.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Below, more about where and why some people are bringing themselves down to earth one step at a time.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Just 30 years ago, Cabo Pulmo’s 20,000-year-old coral reef was depleted by years of overfishing—bringing some species, like the scalloped hammerhead shark, near ecological extinction.—
Hannah Towey,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
19 Apr. 2026
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The money most readers never see Best-selling fiction author Jason June decided to push back against the industry’s silence around money by continuously and publicly sharing his own finances and performance through his Ventorship newsletter.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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There’s no satisfying answer to why Sasha climbed onto the pool.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
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Now, 30% of Maran’s current sales are refills, most of which are contained in photogenic, sensorially satisfying pouches.—
Kara McGrath,
Allure,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brainwashing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainwashing. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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