as in fooling
Related Words
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as in tricking
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwinking
Verb
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Prompt injection is a method of tricking LLMs into doing things they are normally prevented from doing.—
Bruce Schneier,
IEEE Spectrum,
21 Jan. 2026 -
While cold can damage plants, weather that’s too warm too soon can also have a negative effect on bulbs by tricking them into sprouting early.—
Andrea Beck,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Or, perhaps, this was all just an elaborate ruse to clear a roster spot for third-string point guard Pat Spencer.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2026
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Seth Rollins has been out with a legitimate injury, but after his ruse to win at SummerSlam, anything is possible with him.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Watching Bedard break ankles on a nightly basis like Allen Iverson on skates, attempting one-man rushes most players couldn’t even fathom, fooling elite goaltenders with his patented drag-and-drive release, is exhilarating.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For all its cutthroat espionage and subterfuge, The Americans was always a show about family.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Jan. 2026
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Smiley, working with his colleague Peter Guillam (Benedict Cumberbatch) narrows his inquiry to five men, including Bill Haydon (Colin Firth) and Roy Bland (Ciarán Hinds), using clever subterfuge and maneuvering to get the truth.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Although appearances can be deceiving.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
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Ah, but appearances can be deceiving.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For years, deception remained essential to its survival.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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This can be achieved through a winger’s crafty skating, stickhandling and deception to cut into the middle while carrying the puck, or, more commonly, by making skilled passes into the slot area.—
Harman Dayal,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Just like the ClickFix attacks, this malicious trickery is all about running commands that almost all users would never think to do in normal circumstances.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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While there’s a little studio trickery, like a drum part taped at a slower tempo but sped up to the BPM in the recording, the rest was due to a perspective shift.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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These virtual agents are designed to handle high-frequency tasks, allowing human planners to focus on efforts such as sophisticated stratagem and creative direction.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
21 Jan. 2026
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From start to finish, the Red Sox deployed a careless, thoughtless, and passive stratagem.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
12 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Hoodwinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwinking. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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