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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Earlier, police had suggested the pregnancy might have been a ruse to ensure she was sent home.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
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While the ruse was going, Schreiner lashed out at anyone who was skeptical.—
Kenneal Patterson,
Vanity Fair,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Indeed, depth would only get in the way of the plot, which is primarily concerned with fooling you and fooling you again.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
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Both nations are among the tournament's top contenders, which made the last few practices stateside simmering with subterfuge.—
Ren Clayton,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
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The anti-ICE movement seems to be more of a subterfuge by those who oppose immigration restrictions in general.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Neglecting The Kitchen Sink Your sink may look spick-and-span, but looks can be deceiving.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
16 Feb. 2026
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But a superficial comparison between Delta, United, and American across certain headline metrics can be deceiving.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The Stolen Girl series follows a mother whose young daughter goes missing after a sleepover, unfolding into a story of deception, family secrets, and betrayal.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
24 Feb. 2026
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That endorsement comes from someone who has watched every moment of every season’s deception and strategy unfold.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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There’s almost nothing in the way of metaphor or trickery.—
Olivier Lafontant,
Pitchfork,
25 Feb. 2026
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Such trickery to assign great value to low-worth materials also underpins the surprise ending for The Girl Who Cried Pearls, which follows a poor boy falling in love with a girl overwhelmed by sorrow to the point her tears turn into pearls.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The use of militias and mobs to harass, rough up, and otherwise intimidate opponents is a standard fascist stratagem (the textbook example being Hitler’s Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938).—
Jonathan Rauch,
The Atlantic,
25 Jan. 2026
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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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Cite this Entry
“Hoodwinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwinking. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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