hoodwinking 1 of 2

noun

as in fooling

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hoodwinking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of hoodwink
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hoodwinking
Verb
Stadiums are notorious for their lack of multiplier impact, which is one reason these days why sports team owners, such as the McCaskey family that controls the Bears, have such a hard time hoodwinking governments into giving them direct subsidies to build their stadiums. — David Greising, Chicago Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwinking
  1. fooling
  2. tricking
  3. ruse
  4. deceiving
  5. subterfuge
  6. deception
  7. trickery
  8. stratagem
Noun
  • No fooling, April brings some pretty interesting surprises on Netflix.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of fooling
Verb
  • The top-performing red teamer on the original Arena was a lawyer from Melbourne who just happened to be good at tricking models into jumping their guardrails.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • RatHat relies heavily on tricking someone into installing a malicious Android app and approving powerful permissions.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of tricking
Noun
  • When Abdul El-Sayed fundraised with members of the Soros family, Republicans said his campaign trail rhetoric about money in politics was a ruse.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 28 Oct. 2026
  • In episode 4, Noah made up an elaborate ruse involving a fake friend’s wedding in Napa — a means of getting Joanne to wine country for a romantic weekend.
    — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruse
Verb
  • But looks are deceiving in this case – just like the 3X Plus and 3X before it, the trailer stretches out via three individual telescopic segments that emerge at the push of a button.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Facebook’s lawyers argued that the state failed to prove whether people were actually harmed by these deceiving statements.
    — Mikella Schuettler, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceiving
Noun
  • Galloping advances in technology invite subterfuge and theft.
    — Sam Mullins, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The series unpacks the subterfuge and secrecy required to record the interviews and how Diana and Colthurst were on high alert while making the recordings, Barefield explained.
    — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of subterfuge
Noun
  • The investigation also found that men from 29 countries were recruited through deception or coercion to fight for Russian forces, in violation of international law.
    — Edith M. Lederer, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • But the movie’s most disturbing sequence takes the deception a lot further.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of deception
Noun
  • Rarely does a pop album so deftly lay bare the trickery of pop albums, while remaining a compelling pop album in its own right.
    — Samuel Hyland, Pitchfork, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Narratively, the momentum crests at the protest, abetted by Maksimović’s most dynamic cinematic trickery — which extends to a shot from the perspective of the errant, offending stone.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of trickery
Noun
  • Political stratagems in art were shifting in places like New York and Los Angeles, and the Pictures Generation’s ethos began to speak to young Black and brown artists, ultimately intersecting with their desire for representation.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Through Elizabeth’s rise from servant to visionary who resisted Henry VIII’s break with the Roman Catholic Church to gain a divorce, Brown explores historical women’s stratagems for self-determination.
    — Monitor reviewers, Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of stratagem

Browse Nearby Words

hoodwinked
hoodwinking
hoodwinks
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Cite this Entry

“Hoodwinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwinking. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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