befuddle

[ bih-fuhd-l ]

/ bɪˈfʌd l /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR befuddle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), be·fud·dled, be·fud·dling.

to confuse, as with glib statements or arguments: politicians befuddling the public with campaign promises.

to make stupidly drunk.

Nearby words

before you know it, beforehand, beforetime, befoul, befriend, befuddle, beg, beg off, beg the question, beg to differ, beg, borrow, or steal

Origin of befuddle

First recorded in 1885–90; be- + fuddle

SYNONYMS FOR befuddle

1 perplex, bewilder, baffle, daze, muddle.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR befuddle ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

be·fud·dler, nounbe·fud·dle·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for befuddle

I suspect this will buoy liberal spirits, but anger the right and befuddle the independents.
Daily Beast Contributors Weigh In on Obama’s 2012 State of the Union Address||January 25, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Daniel Sands had no cosmic problems on his mind with which to befuddle young Perry.
In the Heart of a Fool|William Allen White
It is a flat public loss, another attempt to befuddle our thinking.
A Preface to Politics|Walter Lippmann
I am willing to wager my soul, however, that that box is simply a hoax to befuddle us.
The Million Dollar Mystery|Harold MacGrath

He had been drinking alcolite; not enough to befuddle him, but enough to make him triumphantly talkative.
Brigands of the Moon|Ray Cummings
He had been drinking alcolite; not enough to befuddle him—but enough to make him triumphantly talkative.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science April 1930|Various

British Dictionary definitions for befuddle

befuddle

/ (bɪˈfʌdəl) /

verb (tr)

to confuse, muddle, or perplex

to make stupid with drink

Derived Forms

befuddlement, noun

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