confuse

verb

con·​fuse kən-ˈfyüz 

confused; confusing

transitive verb

1

: to disturb in mind or purpose : throw off

The directions she gave confused us.

2

a

: to make indistinct : blur

Stop confusing the issue.

b

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

confuse money with comfort

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

c

: to mix indiscriminately : jumble

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

—Thomas Medwin

3

: to make embarrassed : abash

4

archaic : to bring to ruin

confusingly

kən-ˈfyü-ziŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• addle
• baffle
• bamboozle
• beat
• befog
• befuddle
• bemuse
• bewilder
• buffalo
• confound
• discombobulate
• disorient
• flummox
• fox
• fuddle
• get
• gravel
• maze
• muddle
• muddy
• mystify
• perplex
• pose
• puzzle
• vex

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

Despite the involvement of the moon, a solar eclipse is not to be confused with a lunar eclipse. —Reece Rogers, WIRED, 7 Apr. 2024

For now, their focus remains fixed on the path in front of them, taught by experience not to confuse the ideal with the possible. —Jonathan M. Hansen, TIME, 7 Apr. 2024

The passion of Angels fans should not be confused for blind loyalty, as the empty seats next week will demonstrate. —Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024

As commenters pointed out, there's no way that the fictional squad could be confused with the real Chicago Fire Department, as the agency has no Squad 3, department spokesman Larry Langford told USA TODAY. —USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

Israel has also suffered widespread GPS disruptions on applications, with some users shown to be in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, which Israeli outlet Haaretz reported as deliberate attempts to confuse Israeli drone threats. —Peter Aitken, Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024

This last point is the one that’s often confused where RCS is concerned. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024

But don’t confuse money market accounts with money market mutual funds, which invest in short-term, low-risk debt instruments. —Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024

If anything in there confuses you, don’t hesitate to email us! —Sahana Jayaraman, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024

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

Kids Definition

confuse

verb

con·​fuse kən-ˈfyüz 

confused; confusing

1

a

: to make mentally foggy or uncertain : perplex

the complicated problem confused us

b

: to cause to be embarrassed or upset : disconcert

2

: to make unclear : blur

stop confusing the issue

3

: to make disordered : jumble

his motives were hopelessly confused

4

: to fail to tell apart

teachers always confused the twins

confusedly

-ˈfyüz(-ə)d-lē

adverb

confusingly

-ˈfyü-ziŋ-lē 

adverb