confuse

verb

con·fuse kən-ˈfyüz

confused; confusing

Synonyms of confuse next

transitive verb

: to disturb in mind or purpose : throw off

The directions she gave confused us.

: to make indistinct : blur

Stop confusing the issue.

: to fail to differentiate from an often similar or related other

confuse money with comfort

Do not confuse the words "flaunt" and "flout."

: to mix indiscriminately : jumble

Their arms, legs, and bodies were confused together, till they resembled … two serpents interlaced.—

Thomas Medwin

: to make embarrassed : abash

archaic : to bring to ruin

confusingly

kən-ˈfyü-ziŋ-lē

adverb

Examples of confuse in a Sentence

The general was trying to confuse the enemy. The new evidence only confused matters further. You must be confusing me with someone else.

Recent Examples on the Web Yes, some chunk of the sightings is always going to be people being confused, and some chunk is always going to be people looking at Venus. —

Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023 This left more than a few Chinese social media users confused. —

Lyric Li, Washington Post, 16 Nov. 2023 The United States also should not confuse Russia writ large with the Kremlin’s ideology. —

Maria Snegovaya, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2023 Don’t be surprised if people confuse them for actual bracelets! —

Sarah Kester, Travel + Leisure, 16 Nov. 2023 The probe was called NEAR Shoemaker, not to be confused with Shoemaker-Levy the comet, but named for the same guy, Eugene Shoemaker, very famous in the planetary field. —

Chris Klimek, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Nov. 2023 At the same time, as its title suggests, the show confuses — in a good way — certain expectations about who made what, and what came from where. —

Holland Cotter, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023 In the original doc, nearly all the subjects stated that their masculine presentation should not be confused with wanting to be a man. —

Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 16 Nov. 2023 This left Tolley confused since, in its last communication, Anthem had said all avenues of appeal with its office had been exhausted. —

Maya Miller, ProPublica, 8 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confuse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English confusen, back-formation from confused "frustrated, ruined," participle based on Anglo-French confus, borrowed from Latin confūsus, past participle of confundere "to pour together, blend, bring into disorder, destroy, disconcert" — more at confound

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Time Traveler

The first known use of confuse was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century