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
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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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That difference between them proves rather problematic when Stuart tricks Ted into merging their firm with another that's coincidentally run by Ted's ex, Samantha (Rachelle Goulding), and then cuts his partner out of the deal.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA TODAY,
25 Feb. 2025
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Phishing emails, malware-laden attachments and fraudulent schemes now lurk within spam messages, tricking unsuspecting users into clicking malicious links, revealing sensitive information or even infecting their devices with ransomware and spyware.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Willian left one year into his three-year deal with everyone concerned baffled that the whole experience was so deflating.—
Amy Lawrence,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
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New Demands On Leaders Many leaders feel particularly isolated and baffled by the demands of the post-Covid workplace.—
Edward Doherty,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Lohse even managed to fool historian Jonathan Petropoulos, who is at the center of the documentary, and spent years investigating Lohse, only to be tricked by him.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
20 Feb. 2025
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Was their advocacy for new energy sources just a ploy to fool their constituents and get reelected?—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Unenlightened of the brownie’s incredible taste, I was bewildered by the perfect combination of these three types of chocolate.—
Mia Leimkuhler,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
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The appeal bewilders attorneys for the 300,000 plaintiffs who each missed out on $3,000 when DeWine cut off the benefits in June 2021 — 10 weeks before they were set to expire.—
Sam Allard,
Axios,
21 Feb. 2025
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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Further homages to the local area come via a brickwork pattern called Flemish bond that is a familiar sight on homes and buildings across Wrexham, plus the one feature that has left some supporters puzzled — the five uneven monolith-style blocks of brick that make up the exterior.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
The Athletic,
14 Feb. 2025
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Jimmie Johnson was left out, which Alex Bowman found puzzling.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
12 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bamboozle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bamboozle. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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