confuse
Americanverb (used with object)
-
confuses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
confused,
past participle, past
-
confusing
present participle
-
to perplex or bewilder.
The flood of questions confused me.
-
to make unclear or indistinct.
The rumors and angry charges tended to confuse the issue.
-
to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake; confound.
to confuse dates;
He always confuses the twins.
-
to disconcert or abash.
His candor confused her.
-
to combine without order; jumble; disorder.
Try not to confuse the papers on the desk.
- Synonyms:
- disturb, disarrange, disarray
-
Archaic. to bring to ruin or naught.
verb
-
to bewilder; perplex
-
to mix up (things, ideas, etc); jumble
-
to make unclear
he confused his talk with irrelevant details
-
to fail to recognize the difference between; mistake (one thing) for another
-
to disconcert; embarrass
-
to cause to become disordered
the enemy ranks were confused by gas
Synonym Usage
Confuse, disconcert, embarrass imply temporary interference with the clear working of one's mind. To confuse is to produce a general bewilderment: to confuse someone by giving complicated directions. To disconcert is to disturb one's mind by irritation, perplexities, etc.: to disconcert someone by asking irrelevant questions. To embarrass is to cause one to be ill at ease or uncomfortable, so that one's usual judgment and presence of mind desert one: to embarrass someone by unexpected rudeness.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
confusabilitynoun
-
preconfuseverb (used with object)
-
reconfuseverb (used with object)
-
confusableadjective
-
unconfusableadjective
-
confusablyadverb
-
unconfusablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
confusesimple
-
confusessimple
-
have confusedperfect
-
has confusedperfect
-
am confusingprogressive
-
are confusingprogressive
-
is confusingprogressive
-
have been confusingperfect progressive
-
has been confusingperfect progressive
Past
-
confusedsimple
-
had confusedperfect
-
was confusingprogressive
-
were confusingprogressive
-
had been confusingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of confuse
First recorded in 1300–50; from Old French confus “perplexed,” from Latin confūsus “mixed, poured,” past participle of confundere; see confound
Explanation
If you confuse two things, you are not correctly identifying them. If you confuse heartburn with a heart attack, you might end up at the emergency room instead of in the antacid aisle of the drugstore. To confuse can also mean to bewilder. If you tell a teacher that she's confusing you, you probably mean that she's being more complex than you can handle. A lot of people get confused by the differences among "their," "they're," and "there." To confuse the situation even further, there's "theirs" and "there's."
Vocabulary lists containing confuse
Keystone Exams: English Composition Glossary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Revolver
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Either Bass or Raman could win, but if the public’s understanding of the markets is murky, experts say, voters may confuse their speculation for certainty.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
It is using a combination of different flight paths, maneuvers and speeds to try to confuse U.S. defenses, they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
The unwanted beam copies, called grating lobes, can confuse the sensor and generate false detections.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Still, Charu Chanana at Saxo Markets warned "investors should be careful not to confuse lower oil prices with the end of the inflation problem".
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Further to confuse the issue, a ‘red herring’ was drawn across the trail—the mythical woman in the red kimono.
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
The fibers are engineered to a length that enables them to resonate, producing a return that confuses enemy radar or tricks radar-guided missiles into locking onto the wrong target.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
This creates what is known as the doorway effect, which confuses our brains.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
One of the persistent story lines in the WBC: The Americans should have more fun, which confuses exuberance with passion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
Day trader Alex Henderson confuses his betrothed Ashley Carpenter with a shifting backstory involving frequent moves and overlapping dating histories, all attributed to his “nomadic lifestyle.”
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026
Or maybe because she confuses the hell out of me?
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
River otters are not to be confused with sea otters, which live in the ocean, bays and harbors and can grow to be up to five feet and 100 pounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
If you’re confused by this premise, you’re not alone.
From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026
The voice on the other end of the phone sounded confused, but answered the questions instantly and correctly.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The way field teams were structured in the U.S. also confused some physicians, former Novo employees said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
And then one day she seemed completely confused about who I was.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
He said it would also help to put an end to "the confusing and unjust postcode lottery caused by different rules in different areas".
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
“But you know, I think it’s confusing to voters in some ways.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Then came a confusing correction: A product sample the agency had initially described as positive was later determined to be a false positive.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
“They’ll show you one price, and some providers make it kind of confusing to tell what you’re actually going to be paying a year from then,” Supan said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
The confusing blur of sounds and sensations around me.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
