confuse
Americanverb (used with object)
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confuses,
present (3rd person singular)
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confused,
past participle, past
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confusing
present participle
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to perplex or bewilder.
The flood of questions confused me.
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to make unclear or indistinct.
The rumors and angry charges tended to confuse the issue.
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to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake; confound.
to confuse dates;
He always confuses the twins.
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to disconcert or abash.
His candor confused her.
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to combine without order; jumble; disorder.
Try not to confuse the papers on the desk.
- Synonyms:
- disturb, disarrange, disarray
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Archaic. to bring to ruin or naught.
verb
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to bewilder; perplex
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to mix up (things, ideas, etc); jumble
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to make unclear
he confused his talk with irrelevant details
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to fail to recognize the difference between; mistake (one thing) for another
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to disconcert; embarrass
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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
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confusabilitynoun
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preconfuseverb (used with object)
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reconfuseverb (used with object)
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confusableadjective
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unconfusableadjective
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confusablyadverb
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unconfusablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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confusesimple
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confusessimple
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have confusedperfect
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has confusedperfect
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am confusingprogressive
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are confusingprogressive
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is confusingprogressive
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have been confusingperfect progressive
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has been confusingperfect progressive
Past
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confusedsimple
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had confusedperfect
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was confusingprogressive
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were confusingprogressive
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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
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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:
Bringing in extra mythology wouldn’t make the confusing parts any less confusing, and would just confuse the parts that aren’t confusing at all.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
But as long-range drones get larger and carry heavier payloads, chaff is becoming more attractive as a low-cost way to confuse radar defense systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 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
Because I don't want her to confuse this relationship with friendship.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
This creates what is known as the doorway effect, which confuses our brains.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
“True, we’ve had misunderstandings. Though the ring knows when I’ve been walking, it confuses my harried morning routine for housework. After making a dinner one night, the ring asked whether I’d been on the elliptical.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 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
Ever been confused by a random amount leaving your bank then had that sinking feeling it's a subscription you forgot to cancel or didn't mean to sign up to?
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Even so, as the line between investing and gambling grows increasingly blurry, it’s understandable that some consumers might get confused.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
There’s Lord Buckethead, not to be confused with Count Binface.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026
I gesture at Jonesy to calm down, but she’s still gawping at me, confused.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
“The proposed changes will make things more confusing for the consumers.”
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
There have been a few confusing situations where it has not been clear if the goal-kick has been taken, and a defender then handles the ball.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The U.S. job market is going through a confusing period.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
Even though Jay and the girl are watching me, I can tell I’m confusing them.
From "Paradise on Fire" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
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.
