as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
Tom Sawyer famously hoodwinked the other boys into thinking there was nothing more enjoyable than whitewashing a fence
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hoodwink
Horror diehards will likely walk away feeling hoodwinked by a freaky trailer that promises something more extreme than what gets delivered.
—
Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
Charismatic leaders hoodwink highly intelligent, creative people, too.
—David Oliver, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024
There were also those who despised the film on sight, who felt hoodwinked by the buzz that had built around its seasick camerawork and unwashed stars shouting at each other and dripping snot on the lens.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 30 July 2024
Haider staged a fake murder in an apparent effort to hoodwink Abbas and his bosses.
—Renee Maltezou, Cassell Bryan-Low, Yannis Souliotis and Phil Stewart, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024
Charismatic leaders hoodwink highly intelligent, creative people, too.
—David Oliver, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024
There were also those who despised the film on sight, who felt hoodwinked by the buzz that had built around its seasick camerawork and unwashed stars shouting at each other and dripping snot on the lens.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 30 July 2024
Haider staged a fake murder in an apparent effort to hoodwink Abbas and his bosses.
—Renee Maltezou, Cassell Bryan-Low, Yannis Souliotis and Phil Stewart, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwink
Verb
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But appearances can be deceiving because there's a lot of bright side here.—
Shubham Yewale,
PCMAG,
10 Mar. 2025
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Trips down memory lane, especially when Star Wars video games are involved, can be deceiving.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This pair looks like a classic trouser, with front pleats and a relaxed leg — but don’t be fooled.—
Genevieve Cepeda,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Mar. 2025
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Do not be fooled by this bill’s carve-out for masks worn for health and religious reasons.—
Nikki Morse,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Increasingly, criminals are able to use commonly available tools to launch sophisticated phishing scams, going as far as digitally replicating faces and voices in order to trick security systems.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
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Phishing is a cyber-attack that aims to trick people into divulging personal information.—
Solcyré Burga,
TIME,
13 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hoodwink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwink. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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