Synonyms

befog

American

[bih-fog, -fawg] / bɪˈfɒg, -ˈfɔg /

verb (used with object)

befogged, befogging

to envelop in fog or obscurity; becloud.

Low-hanging clouds befogged the city.
to render unclear; confuse by irrelevancies or distractions.

Petty differences befogged the legislators' task.

Synonyms:

obfuscate, muddle, blur, confound

befog British

/ bɪˈfɒɡ /

verb

to surround with fog
to make confused, vague, or less clear

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of befog

First recorded in 1595–1605; be- + fog ¹

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.

After adding befog, we’ve guessed more than three letters for more than 96 percent of all puzzles we might face in Wordle, in four guesses.

From Slate • Feb. 5, 2022

No irrational, misguided sentimentality shall befog my firm conviction that Bob Cousy, while still at Holy Cross, retired the title to "The Greatest."

From Time Magazine Archive

A complex sentiment of curiosity and silence isolated him from his friends and seemed to befog him with inexplicable ridicule.

From Their Son; The Necklace by Zamacois, Eduardo

Men who do not wish to do their duty purposely befog great issues by noisy talk and tiresome academic discussions of trivial details; and such men are the curse and scourge of reform movements.

From Our Vanishing Wild Life Its Extermination and Preservation by Hornaday, William Temple

She was hurt, but she did not let the hurt befog her sense of justice.

From Parrot & Co. by MacGrath, Harold

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023