bamboozle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
bamboozles,
present (3rd person singular)
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bamboozled,
past participle, past
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bamboozling
present participle
verb (used without object)
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bamboozles,
present (3rd person singular)
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bamboozled,
past participle, past
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bamboozling
present participle
verb
-
to cheat; mislead
-
to confuse
Pop Culture
— Bamboozle: A board game by Milton Bradley introduced in 1876, notable for featuring the first large folding game board. — Bamboozle: Milton Bradley introduced another board game with the same name in 1962. This game was based on the 1962 NBC-TV show McKeever and The Colonel. — Bamboozle: A Parker Brothers (now Hasbro) game from 1997. It is a word game in which one team has to guess the words that another team came up with based on a list of randomly-generated letters. — Bamboozled: A feature film (2000) directed by Spike Lee, about a frustrated African American television writer who proposes a minstrel show as a form of protest, which unexpectedly becomes a hit. — The Bamboozle: An annual three-day music festival held in New Jersey.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bamboozlesimple
-
bamboozlessimple
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have bamboozledperfect
-
has bamboozledperfect
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am bamboozlingprogressive
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are bamboozlingprogressive
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is bamboozlingprogressive
-
have been bamboozlingperfect progressive
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has been bamboozlingperfect progressive
Past
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bamboozledsimple
-
had bamboozledperfect
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was bamboozlingprogressive
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were bamboozlingprogressive
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had been bamboozlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bamboozle
First recorded in 1695–1705; origin uncertain
Explanation
To bamboozle is to hoodwink, lead by the nose, or pull the wool over someone's eyes — you're tricking or fooling them. Bamboozle may sound like a funny word, but anyone that's ever been bamboozled could tell you it's nothing to laugh about. A bamboozler lies and pretends to be a good guy, all the while plotting to empty your bank account or steal away your promotion. Con men are professional bamboozlers. Some people think advertisers are bamboozlers, since they're constantly trying to trick you into buying something you probably don't need.
Vocabulary lists containing bamboozle
Tricky Terms for April Fool's Day
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Smoke and Mirrors: The Lingo of Illusion and Deception
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Crash
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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:
As they learned, the Courbet affair was hardly the first time this handsome outsider was able to allegedly bamboozle savvy art buyers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026
Sarah Ferguson pulled a pint in the Rovers Return Inn and said she would have to "bamboozle" producers to get a part.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2024
Spurred on by Berowne, “a man replete with mocks,” they double down on whimsy, dressing up for some reason as Russians to bamboozle their intendeds.
From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2023
Her portrayal of Villanelle, a coolheaded Russian psychopath, not only made her bankable, it also delivered an accent that was convincing enough to bamboozle Suzie Miller, “Prima Facie’s” author.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2023
Those of you who enjoy shooting laser beams at your friends for sport can bamboozle your opponents by crying out, “Here comes my Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation!” just before you fire.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Yet it’s a good time to revive a play about a ruthless leader who bamboozles the public while wreaking havoc on his government.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
In the process, I think that's what it is, the process bamboozles you.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2023
The sorcerer Prospero bamboozles his shipwrecked enemies with astonishing illusions.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 29, 2022
Adil Rashid bamboozles Babar Azam with a googly as the Pakistan captain is stumped by Jos Buttler in the T20 series decider at Old Trafford.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2021
He bamboozles us into producing his play, then runs off and leaves us to sink or swim.
From The Light of the Star A Novel by Hamlin Garland
Novelties at Mayer am Nussberg that would have bamboozled Keller's ancestors include vegan food, alcohol-free wine -- of which Keller offers four sorts -- and self-service order touchscreens.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
Young adults aren’t confused or bamboozled by the risks they’re taking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
His signature 'spiral bomb' also bamboozled Beauden Barrett, who failed to regather.
From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025
He has a well-earned reputation among journalists as a perpetual skeptic, someone who refuses to be bamboozled by hype, cope, spin, and anything in between.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2025
I had him so bamboozled he didn’t know which way was up.
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
Now, it’s out of hibernation—and bamboozling hitters everywhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
This worked to an extent, especially in terms of bamboozling the media into misreporting what he actually said.
From Salon ● Apr. 11, 2024
“He is bamboozling the reformers and the Western press by using all the ringing words we like to hear,” Mr. Safire wrote.
From New York Times ● Aug. 20, 2022
Holding his hands low, continuing to move his head brilliantly, the Olympic medallist peppered the face of Marriaga, snapping his head back on numerous occasions and bamboozling him continuously.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2022
But they had succeeded in playing a very simple trick, bamboozling the Mark commander, attacking his sentries and escaping by night.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
