as in tricked
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 hoodwinked
The trick is to not get hoodwinked by the illusion of a deal.
—
Josh Miller, Southern Living, 7 June 2026
To this day, a portion of the left-wing Democratic elite views Obama as a charlatan who hoodwinked their voters into supporting him.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
There’s no argument that somehow people were hoodwinked or didn’t know what was in the contract.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
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
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
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
Josh Miller, Southern Living, 7 June 2026
To this day, a portion of the left-wing Democratic elite views Obama as a charlatan who hoodwinked their voters into supporting him.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
There’s no argument that somehow people were hoodwinked or didn’t know what was in the contract.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwinked
Verb
-
The sample that tricked the most people came from a robot Bram Stoker.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
2 June 2026
-
Montreal opened the scoring when Dubois’ shot hit off of Elizabeth Giguere’s stick and tricked Rooney.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
The problem is, most people feel deceived when the person in front of them doesn't match the profile.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
Do not be deceived by this seemingly simple question.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
But don’t be fooled, Shoshone is well worth exploring in its own right.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
Don’t be fooled by its petite silhouette—the bag still offers plenty of room for well beyond your wallet and keys.—
Kyra Surgent,
InStyle,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoodwinked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwinked. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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