1
as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
bamboozled by con men into buying worthless land in the desert
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to confuse
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
I'm completely bamboozled by the latest changes in the tax code
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bamboozle
Jadon Sancho’s sumptuous dummy, bamboozling Chris Richards, and cross had set up Cole Palmer for the opener early on and Chelsea should really have extended their lead by the break.
—
Liam Twomey, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
Cocker’s lessons covered addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, as well as calculation with pre-decimal British currency and a gentle introduction to 17th-century England’s bamboozling array of weights and measures.
—James Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
At trial, Laffitte did not dispute the facts, but claimed he’d been bamboozled by Murdaugh as part of his sprawling scheme.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 14 Nov. 2024
But a couple of feints and some decent movement from Soucek bamboozled Kelly, who lost his man, allowing the Czech Republic international to direct a free header into the right-hand corner of the net from an Emerson Palmieri corner.
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bamboozle 
Liam Twomey, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
Cocker’s lessons covered addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, as well as calculation with pre-decimal British currency and a gentle introduction to 17th-century England’s bamboozling array of weights and measures.
—James Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Dec. 2024
At trial, Laffitte did not dispute the facts, but claimed he’d been bamboozled by Murdaugh as part of his sprawling scheme.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 14 Nov. 2024
But a couple of feints and some decent movement from Soucek bamboozled Kelly, who lost his man, allowing the Czech Republic international to direct a free header into the right-hand corner of the net from an Emerson Palmieri corner.
—Chris Waugh, The Athletic, 25 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bamboozle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bamboozle
Verb
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Minor leaguers and players trying to make the club out of spring can put up gaudy (deceiving) numbers against dubious competition.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
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The viewer may feel deceived for a moment, but most people know that trash talk is par for the course among sports fandoms.—
Emily Forlini,
PCMAG,
10 Feb. 2025
Verb
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This should not be confused as some kind of part-time mentoring role, like someone coming in to give a speech once in a while and then clearing off.—
Simon Johnson,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
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Don't let the term air fryer confuse you: These things are pretty much just small convection ovens that use fans to circulate hot air around your food in order to cook it evenly and efficiently.—
Emily Farris,
Bon Appétit,
14 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Hackers also insert malware-laden files into chat threads, tricking users into downloading DLL files that enable system takeover.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
10 Feb. 2025
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In February 2024, a woman who was tricked by a computer support scheme that mimicked Microsoft customer support, transferred around $550,000 to the suspects in two wire transfers.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
8 Feb. 2025
Verb
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However, she was baffled by the woman's insistence and entitlement.—
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
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The surprising source of the repeating burst has baffled astronomers, who haven't considered that regions in which no stars are forming could produce such a radio flare.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Don’t be fooled by its cheery name: Happy Face looks haunting.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
27 Jan. 2025
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However, phishing is platform-agnostic, relying on fooling you, the user.—
PCMAG,
PCMAG,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Internet users were obsessed yet bewildered with the unique positioning.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
5 Feb. 2025
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But Judge was the only one who wasn’t bewildered by the move.—
Chris Kirschner,
The Athletic,
14 Aug. 2024
Verb
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Sociologists have been perplexed at the scale and stubbornness of the decline in fertility, which does not appear to be materially impacted by various governments' attempts to intervene with supposedly birth-inducing policies like tax credits.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
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For years, astronomers have been perplexed by this particular supermassive black hole, a behemoth as large as a million suns in a distant galaxy.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA TODAY,
14 Jan. 2025
Verb
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But less than a decade later, Sante Kimes captured national attention with a pair of brutal and puzzling crimes that spanned thousands of miles.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC News,
1 Feb. 2025
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Why this occurred at the unfinished hangar in Boise puzzles him.—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
30 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near bamboozle
Cite this Entry
“Bamboozle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bamboozle. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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