bamboozle
Americanverb
-
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
- bamboozlement noun
- bamboozler noun
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.
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
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
This time Shakib will juggle the captaincy with his crafty left-arm spin and stylish batting while left-arm seamer Mustafizur will look to bamboozle with his exciting tricks and variations.
From BBC • Oct. 21, 2022
It's not just that they bamboozle people and they play these semantic games, either.
From Salon • Sep. 20, 2022
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
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.
