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as in to mistake
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related a lot of people confuse popular fame with enduring achievement

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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 confuse This confuses your immune system and causes an allergic reaction known as cross-reactivity.14 Summary Cucumbers are a healthy addition to most people's diets. Kathi Valeii, Verywell Health, 29 Apr. 2025 The result, say critics, includes the highest tariffs in more than a century; sudden, confusing shifts in tariff policy and major damage to the U.S.' geopolitical relationships. Alain Sherter, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2025 He's stressed and confused about being all alone without his human. @voicesforcarolinaanimals Mr. Bentley has an incredibly sad story. Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025 Kakar and his Muslim teammates started using Farsi to communicate as a way to confuse the opposition. Tim Meehan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for confuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confuse
Verb
  • Across the street, her husband Steve, who nursed Molly through her first fight with breast cancer a few years earlier, sits bewildered in the office of their couples therapist.
    Judy Berman, Time, 27 Mar. 2025
  • Carlie thinks the whole thing is hilarious, and Chelsea remains bewildered by any King Cake Baby obsession.
    Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025
Verb
  • Odd intuitive hits complicate your productivity as the moon clashes with Neptune.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 8 May 2025
  • The setting sun drapes the realm in orange, and lamplight complicates shadow-play.
    Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • But when Brunson is on the floor, there’s no mistaking it.
    Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Those who cast a casual early evening gaze toward Sirius these next couple of weeks might mistake it for a distant drone or even a UFO.
    Joe Rao, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The goal isn’t to embarrass or dominate the other person.
    John Bowe, CNBC, 1 May 2025
  • This is not Carey's first time embarrassing her children.
    Kayla Grant, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Teachers have banned it from the classroom after kids disrupted lessons by reciting its signature gibberish, Parents reports.
    Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
  • Comments The Four Seasons is an eight-episode Netflix series about middle-aged married couples whose dynamic is disrupted by a divorce in their midst.
    Randall Colburn, EW.com, 3 May 2025
Verb
  • But there are differences that can leave college fans perplexed, like when productive and highly decorated players tumble down the draft board.
    Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
  • This abrupt conclusion to their title reign left many fans perplexed, questioning the logic behind their initial victory.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • But Mills and his colleagues have also spent the last four years working on ways to blur the lines between Disney’s linear and streaming properties in order to maximize audience potential for the company’s unscripted assets.
    Josef Adalian, Vulture, 2 May 2025
  • The site’s newfound might may blur the lines between editorial and matchmaking, but those charges aren’t exactly new.
    Jason Clinkscales, Sportico.com, 2 May 2025
Verb
  • Midway through Donald Trump‘s 100-day interview with ABC’s Terry Moran, the president got flustered.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Zmuda flustered Kaufman, throwing him off his rhythm, leading to more awkward silence and melancholy.
    Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Confuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confuse. Accessed 11 May. 2025.

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