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

The object of writing a book is not to befog the reader's mind.

From The Lure of the Pen A book for Would-Be Authors by Klickmann, Flora

Notions like that befog one's mind; one rants of universal brotherhood, of liberty and equality and, of course, transcends every convention and every moral law….

From The Dramatic Works of Gerhart Hauptmann Volume I by Hauptmann, Gerhart

Ewell's division, which had been left behind to befog Pope's mind and retard his movements, joined us and completed the defensive line of Jackson's entire corps.

From Reminiscences of a Rebel by Dunaway, Wayland Fuller

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