befuddle
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to confuse, muddle, or perplex
-
to make stupid with drink
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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befuddlesimple
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befuddlessimple
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have befuddledperfect
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has befuddledperfect
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am befuddlingprogressive
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are befuddlingprogressive
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is befuddlingprogressive
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have been befuddlingperfect progressive
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has been befuddlingperfect progressive
Past
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befuddledsimple
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had befuddledperfect
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was befuddlingprogressive
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were befuddlingprogressive
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had been befuddlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of befuddle
Explanation
To befuddle is to confuse. A sticky exam question can befuddle you, or an awkward question about your whereabouts the night before (how can you remember? You were befuddled, after all.) In sixteenth century Britain a popular thing to do (about the only thing to do) after the hogs had been fed and the chickens put away for the night was fuddle — in other words get pretty drunk. Befuddled was simply the confused state too many pots of mead put your poor brain in, and that's still its basic meaning today. Nowadays, befuddle has a more general meaning of confusion and uncertainty not necessarily caused by too much booze.
Vocabulary lists containing befuddle
Smoke and Mirrors: The Lingo of Illusion and Deception
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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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:
Today’s pitchers befuddle hitters with velocity and spin rate while exiting before 100 pitches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
He says he has drawn on classic police interrogation techniques to befuddle chatbots and get them to "crack".
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2025
Even in the sunlight, the shadows and glare can befuddle landing cameras and sensors.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 8, 2024
Bear's journey home takes a detour partly guided by Goldtooth's spirit, whose main purpose is to frustrate and befuddle those unlucky enough to see him.
From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2023
It had been work, exhilarating but exhausting all the same, constantly having to befuddle building supers and bellhops and nosy neighbors just for a place to sleep.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Here’s what befuddles him right now: There isn’t much to fix regarding the way the Hurricanes are playing against the Florida Panthers.
From Washington Times ● May 23, 2023
Admit it, the Lakers have hitched their future to a guy who might never be consistently great, a guy who dazzles far less than he befuddles.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2023
Stagflation is the bitterest of economic pills: High inflation mixes with a weak job market to cause a toxic brew that punishes consumers and befuddles economists.
From Seattle Times ● May 26, 2022
He has constructed a glossy fever dream that bewitches as much as it befuddles.
From Salon ● May 20, 2022
Grape-growers are not in the fog that befuddles growers of tree-fruits in regard to tillage.
From Manual of American Grape-Growing by Hedrick, U. P.
But the question of where Laufey sits in the pantheon of popular music has befuddled critics ever since.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
Bryan Cranston transitioned from befuddled dad Hal to lethal drug lord Walter White in “Breaking Bad.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
When Jay goes on to paraphrase “Baldwin” on the subject of white racism, Leigh is befuddled: “Alec Baldwin’s black?” he sputters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
One zoomer Republican operative in Washington was befuddled at how Butterworth’s had become such a destination: “A bunch of conservatives just decided it would be our place and I don’t understand why.”
From Slate ● Mar. 10, 2026
It came with illusions that befuddled the mind and heightened the senses.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Even when her film is utterly befuddling, it’s a joy to behold.
From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026
Many of the most befuddling stocks reviewed by Barron’s are holding companies incorporated in the Cayman Islands or the British Virgin Islands with investors or subsidiaries that are also Caribbean holding companies.
From Barron's ● Nov. 18, 2025
But as any shopper will tell you, finding the right one can be befuddling, especially in today’s jargon-cluttered marketplace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025
After getting outclassed for an hour and trailing 1-0 when by rights it should have been two or three, how did Scotland win this monumentally befuddling World Cup qualifier 3-1?
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2025
It was harder to feel scared of a lump of tea leaves away from the dim red light and befuddling perfume of Professor Trelawney’s classroom.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
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.
