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
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
Approved by voters hoodwinked by false cost estimates, the project was supposed to be operable by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Audiences bemused, delighted, hoodwinked theatrically, hoodwinked for real.
—Anne Carson, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
Both lawsuits argue that the news outlets deliberately hoodwinked the public, in violation of state consumer protection laws.
—New York Times, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2025
Many individuals and companies don’t report after they’ve been hoodwinked.
—Frank Teruel, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
Approved by voters hoodwinked by false cost estimates, the project was supposed to be operable by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Audiences bemused, delighted, hoodwinked theatrically, hoodwinked for real.
—Anne Carson, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2025
Both lawsuits argue that the news outlets deliberately hoodwinked the public, in violation of state consumer protection laws.
—New York Times, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2025
Many individuals and companies don’t report after they’ve been hoodwinked.
—Frank Teruel, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwinked
Verb
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He will not be coaxed, tricked, or trapped.—
Heather Bushman,
IndyStar,
3 Oct. 2025
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The consumer is led to believe there is a fraudulent activity involving their account — and they're tricked with working with a scammer to fix a fake problem.—
Susan Tompor,
Freep.com,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to the Justice Department, Sanberg deceived investors and lenders.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
30 Sep. 2025
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The lawsuit, filed by the FTC in June 2023 under the Biden administration, claimed that Amazon deceived tens of millions of customers into signing up for its Prime subscription program and sabotaged their attempts to cancel it.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Super blue moons can also occur, but don’t be fooled by the name.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
6 Oct. 2025
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Do not be fooled by Celine’s chic bob; the woman is an agent of chaos.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
1 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoodwinked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwinked. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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