as in deceives
to cause to believe what is untrue
the coral snake's attractive colors can mislead you into thinking that it is harmless
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Recent Examples of misleads
These are attacks in which a bad actor misleads an AI model by injecting malicious instructions into a conversation, such as a PDF or website code designed to extract valuable company data.
—
Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 6 June 2026
Trademark law asks whether the use misleads consumers about whether a company or person has produced or endorsed something.
—Daryl Lim, Fortune, 30 May 2026
Trademark law asks whether the use misleads consumers about whether a company or person has produced or endorsed something.
—Daryl Lim, The Conversation, 28 May 2026
Because journalism is a nonfiction medium and not an art form, photojournalists must avoid any manipulation of the image or the scene being captured or any postproduction alteration that misleads the public about the reality of the situation.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
Winston Churchill’s memoirs smoothed these memories over, and this still misleads us.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
This deceptive categorization is devoid of reality and misleads the American public.
—CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Currah misleads readers regarding the positions held by the authors.
—Paisley Currah, The New York Review of Books, 18 Dec. 2025
Hughes said people can still go to court if a drug company misleads the public or commits fraud.
—Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 6 June 2026
Trademark law asks whether the use misleads consumers about whether a company or person has produced or endorsed something.
—Daryl Lim, Fortune, 30 May 2026
Trademark law asks whether the use misleads consumers about whether a company or person has produced or endorsed something.
—Daryl Lim, The Conversation, 28 May 2026
Because journalism is a nonfiction medium and not an art form, photojournalists must avoid any manipulation of the image or the scene being captured or any postproduction alteration that misleads the public about the reality of the situation.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
Winston Churchill’s memoirs smoothed these memories over, and this still misleads us.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
This deceptive categorization is devoid of reality and misleads the American public.
—CBS News, 19 Jan. 2026
Currah misleads readers regarding the positions held by the authors.
—Paisley Currah, The New York Review of Books, 18 Dec. 2025
Hughes said people can still go to court if a drug company misleads the public or commits fraud.
—Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misleads
Verb
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The complaint also claims that the image deceives customers into thinking Lipa has endorsed the product and dilutes her brand identity.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
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The fragmentary Ni 12501 tablet from the Early Dynastic III period of Mesopotamia breaks off when Fox deceives the inhabitants of the netherworld in his quest to retrieve the storm god Ishkur.—
Rafil Kroll-Zaidi,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Runway, Pika, and a dozen others can produce footage that fools the eye on first watch.—
Sandy Carter,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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What fools these non-OpenAI mortals must be.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Removing fading flowers and their seed pods tricks the plant to redirect its energy from producing seeds to producing more scapes and flower buds, as well as putting energy into root development and storing energy for the next growing season.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
3 June 2026
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Well, at least Cindy's been fighting the good fight, which Brenda tricks her into waging alone every time.—
Entertainment Weekly,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misleads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misleads. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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