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
Public health often responds that MAHA supporters like Elizabeth, Melinda, and Nancy have been hoodwinked by social media influencers, grifters, and anti-vaccine zealots.
—
Tom W. Johnson,
STAT,
26 Jan. 2026
Invited to provide his thoughts on this, Arbeloa stressed he won’t be hoodwinked.
—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
That rowdy group is out to swindle and hoodwink rich guys.
—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Even as the Deliriant and his pint-size accomplice attempt to hoodwink a monster, they’re left to wonder, poignantly, if anything in their duplicitous world is real.
—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Tom W. Johnson,
STAT,
26 Jan. 2026
Invited to provide his thoughts on this, Arbeloa stressed he won’t be hoodwinked.
—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
That rowdy group is out to swindle and hoodwink rich guys.
—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Even as the Deliriant and his pint-size accomplice attempt to hoodwink a monster, they’re left to wonder, poignantly, if anything in their duplicitous world is real.
—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwink
Verb
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Appearance, though, can be deceiving, but luckily, this shed is still packed with smart features and a clever design that will keep all your belongings safe.
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Here, however, the joke is that appearances can be deceiving — or to be more specific, that trying to act like a character in a movie is a reckless, unwise thing to do.
Verb
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Don’t be fooled; this isn’t your typical museum.
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Don’t be fooled by its breezy ’60s-analog vintage pop sound.
Verb
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Ricky Saints tricked the referee into thinking Lil Yachty used the kendo stick on him, and after traveling all the way to Riyadh, Yachty was tossed out just minutes into the match.
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Use a password manager so fake sites do not trick you into reusing passwords.
Cite this Entry
“Hoodwink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwink. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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