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
Minnesota was bamboozled by Golden State’s zone at the end of the first half.
—
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 May 2025
These are some red flags to look for and tips to protect yourself from getting bamboozled.
—Daniel Wine, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
Kostyuk, however, spotted the opportunity with Blinkova behind the baseline to close out a 6-2, 6-1 win, completely bamboozling her opponent one last time in the process.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
These are some red flags to look for and tips to protect yourself from getting bamboozled.
—Daniel Wine, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bamboozle
Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 May 2025
These are some red flags to look for and tips to protect yourself from getting bamboozled.
—Daniel Wine, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
Kostyuk, however, spotted the opportunity with Blinkova behind the baseline to close out a 6-2, 6-1 win, completely bamboozling her opponent one last time in the process.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
These are some red flags to look for and tips to protect yourself from getting bamboozled.
—Daniel Wine, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bamboozle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bamboozle
Verb
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More than 20 children are in the custody of a Southern California child-welfare agency as authorities investigate allegations of child abuse and whether surrogate mothers were deceived by a Los Angeles-area couple.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
17 July 2025
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And then he was wishy-washy, went back and forth, and she was deceived and disappointed by him.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
15 July 2025
Verb
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By 1915, scientists unearthed 2 million bones of large animals from La Brea, and a pattern emerged that both excited and confused them: too many predators.—
Ian Rose,
JSTOR Daily,
23 July 2025
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Two people can deliver the same message, but their delivery style can make the difference between motivating and confusing a team.—
Kendra MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
23 July 2025
Verb
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Luckily for Marian, much of Bertha’s attention is stolen by the unexpected arrival of her unsophisticated sister; Bertha’s too busy making snide comments and tricking her into wearing nicer gowns to even bother with Marian.—
Andy Swift,
TVLine,
13 July 2025
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The offense is built on outside runs and tricking the defense.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
8 July 2025
Verb
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Money terms and concepts continue to baffle people, many of whom are seeking answers through online searches.—
Russ Wiles,
USA Today,
12 July 2025
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Even with the other guys' admonitions not to, under any circumstances, be themselves, Dee and Charlie's improbable success in charming these scions of the Philly upper crust had the guys — and us — both baffled and anxiously awaiting an ugly twist.—
Dennis Perkins,
EW.com,
10 July 2025
Verb
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His impersonation is so convincing that Lu and Shin are initially fooled.—
Allison DeGrushe Published,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
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The Mets couldn’t pick up his slider and were fooled on his changeup.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
13 July 2025
Verb
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Still, my friends and I, specifically those who were teen-agers or older at the time of 9/11, have been bewildered by the Islamophobia of the moment, which feels especially vintage and plainspoken, not massaged into obfuscatory rhetoric or angling for any greater point.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025
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In the moment, Kyle looked bewildered that the musician had singled him out, smiling with his mouth open in shock.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
20 May 2025
Verb
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At the time, I was perplexed and questioned if this was necessary.—
Susan Horava,
Health,
24 June 2025
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Ultimately, the remaining Islanders dumped Jeremiah and Hannah, a controversial move that left viewers at home perplexed as to why this decision was made.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
23 June 2025
Verb
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Another puzzling question was what to do with the long, narrow goat stable.—
Aileen Weintraub,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 July 2025
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One especially puzzling discovery is shown in a narrow closet.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bamboozle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bamboozle. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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