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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
The thing is, a lot of people have a talent for deceiving the public.—
Juan J. Arroyo,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2026
-
Park and weather officials alike emphasize to Grand Canyon visitors that hiking conditions can be deceiving.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
Don’t be fooled; this isn’t your typical museum.—
Sierra Vandervort,
Travel + Leisure,
20 June 2026
-
Don’t be fooled by its breezy ’60s-analog vintage pop sound.—
Daniel Kohn,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
The program trains itself to follow your eyeballs and then tries to trick players by moving the circles.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
Those sites were designed to look real enough to trick people into entering credit card details, passwords or other sensitive information.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoodwink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwink. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
