as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
Tom Sawyer famously hoodwinked the other boys into thinking there was nothing more enjoyable than whitewashing a fence
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Recent Examples of hoodwink
Reps for Young and Baez declined to comment, much like reps for Bob Dylan, Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, and others who have passed on making statements about AI imagery that’s hoodwinked whatever percentage of their fan bases.
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David Browne, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
Slow Horses is a twisty show, but the assumption that Roddy had been hoodwinked by a glamorous woman far out of his league seemed about as safe a bet as possible.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
However, for your sign, money and possessions are where you might be hoodwinked or not realize what’s going on.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
But, given the photo was taken a week ago, people raised concerns about a potential attempt to hoodwink the public about the true state of the president's condition.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
David Browne, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
Slow Horses is a twisty show, but the assumption that Roddy had been hoodwinked by a glamorous woman far out of his league seemed about as safe a bet as possible.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
However, for your sign, money and possessions are where you might be hoodwinked or not realize what’s going on.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
But, given the photo was taken a week ago, people raised concerns about a potential attempt to hoodwink the public about the true state of the president's condition.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwink
Verb
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The conservative-majority court agreed to take up a case from Boulder, Colorado, among a series of lawsuits alleging the companies deceived the public about how fossil fuels contribute to climate change.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
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The conservative-majority court agreed to take up a case from Boulder, among a series of lawsuits alleging the companies deceived the public about how fossil fuels contribute to climate change.—
Lindsay Whitehurst,
Denver Post,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Don’t be fooled by their jaw-dropping price, the pants deliver an expensive air regardless of how they’re styled.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
23 Feb. 2026
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Looks cool, but still can’t fool former CNNers.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Extreme Weather Protection Mother Nature can trick us and send in one last big cold front in late winter.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
18 Feb. 2026
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Hill and Bowman run through all those reasons people use to avoid exercise, work through how the brain is trying to trick you and explain how to overcome that particular trap.—
Leying Tang,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoodwink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwink. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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