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
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
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.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
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
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.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwink
Verb
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The complaint also claims that the image deceives customers into thinking Lipa has endorsed the product and dilutes her brand identity.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
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Berger also warned against attempts by Israelis to deceive foreign agents, stressing that any contact is a serious offense.—
Amelie Botbol,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Give Plants Enough Space Don’t be fooled by the size of the seedling at planting time.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 May 2026
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Other investigations showed Darsee had fooled co-authors of many papers that dated back to his college days at Notre Dame.—
Lawrence K. Altman,
STAT,
7 May 2026
Verb
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This method involves tricking an employee or person with elevated access into giving up their password.—
Marybel Rodriguez,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
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In a way, deadheading is used to trick plants into blooming again and again.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoodwink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwink. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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