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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hoodwink
Jane Street founder allegedly hoodwinked into funding arms deal
Robert Granieri, a co-founder of Jane Street Group, was defrauded into a $7 million purchase of AK-47s, Stinger missiles, and grenades for a coup in South Sudan, according to prosecutors.
—
Diane Brady, Fortune, 26 June 2025
New Yorkers still take pride in not being easily hoodwinked.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025
Read: How the CIA hoodwinked Hollywood Washington left his most significant intelligence legacy as the nation’s first president.
—James Santel, The Atlantic, 8 May 2025
Many victims only find out they’ve been hoodwinked when their real lender initiates foreclosure proceedings.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Diane Brady, Fortune, 26 June 2025
New Yorkers still take pride in not being easily hoodwinked.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025
Read: How the CIA hoodwinked Hollywood Washington left his most significant intelligence legacy as the nation’s first president.
—James Santel, The Atlantic, 8 May 2025
Many victims only find out they’ve been hoodwinked when their real lender initiates foreclosure proceedings.
—Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwink
Verb
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Everton appear locked in a cycle where their starting No 9 flatters to deceive, is left out for the next game, but then the replacement fares little better.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
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Unfortunately, bank customers aren't always reimbursed when they're hit by some scams, including when they're deceived into making a payment to a con artist, such as in a romance scam.—
Susan Tompor,
Freep.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Prosecutors told the court the scheme had raised at least $650 million and called it a classic Ponzi structure that fooled even Horwitz’s closest friends.—
Christina Coulter,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
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Don’t let their elegant fancy-restaurant flavors fool you.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But in addition to his reputation as a womanizer, Casanova was also a con man, a skilled liar who came from a family of actors and who over the course of his life manipulated and tricked countless people to maintain wealth and status.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
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Malware has evolved to target macOS more aggressively than ever and many attacks now rely on tricking users rather than breaking through security software.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoodwink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwink. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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