confuse
Americanverb (used with object)
-
confuses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
confused,
past participle, past
-
confusing
present participle
-
to perplex or bewilder.
The flood of questions confused me.
-
to make unclear or indistinct.
The rumors and angry charges tended to confuse the issue.
-
to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake; confound.
to confuse dates;
He always confuses the twins.
-
to disconcert or abash.
His candor confused her.
-
to combine without order; jumble; disorder.
Try not to confuse the papers on the desk.
- Synonyms:
- disturb, disarrange, disarray
-
Archaic. to bring to ruin or naught.
verb
-
to bewilder; perplex
-
to mix up (things, ideas, etc); jumble
-
to make unclear
he confused his talk with irrelevant details
-
to fail to recognize the difference between; mistake (one thing) for another
-
to disconcert; embarrass
-
to cause to become disordered
the enemy ranks were confused by gas
Synonym Usage
Confuse, disconcert, embarrass imply temporary interference with the clear working of one's mind. To confuse is to produce a general bewilderment: to confuse someone by giving complicated directions. To disconcert is to disturb one's mind by irritation, perplexities, etc.: to disconcert someone by asking irrelevant questions. To embarrass is to cause one to be ill at ease or uncomfortable, so that one's usual judgment and presence of mind desert one: to embarrass someone by unexpected rudeness.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
confusabilitynoun
-
preconfuseverb (used with object)
-
reconfuseverb (used with object)
-
confusableadjective
-
unconfusableadjective
-
confusablyadverb
-
unconfusablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
confusesimple
-
confusessimple
-
have confusedperfect
-
has confusedperfect
-
am confusingprogressive
-
are confusingprogressive
-
is confusingprogressive
-
have been confusingperfect progressive
-
has been confusingperfect progressive
Past
-
confusedsimple
-
had confusedperfect
-
was confusingprogressive
-
were confusingprogressive
-
had been confusingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of confuse
First recorded in 1300–50; from Old French confus “perplexed,” from Latin confūsus “mixed, poured,” past participle of confundere; see confound
Explanation
If you confuse two things, you are not correctly identifying them. If you confuse heartburn with a heart attack, you might end up at the emergency room instead of in the antacid aisle of the drugstore. To confuse can also mean to bewilder. If you tell a teacher that she's confusing you, you probably mean that she's being more complex than you can handle. A lot of people get confused by the differences among "their," "they're," and "there." To confuse the situation even further, there's "theirs" and "there's."
Vocabulary lists containing confuse
Keystone Exams: English Composition Glossary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Revolver
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
The research was prompted over concerns birds could "starve" if they confuse the nurdles for food and fill their stomachs.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The unit used Lima to confuse the ballistic missiles that crashed into the Dnipro, filling the air with false signals—a technique known as spoofing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Attackers can deliberately alter fake videos in subtle ways designed to confuse a detector and make manipulated footage appear authentic.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
‘Celebrity endorsements sell investments for the same reason they sell shoes: People confuse familiarity with trust.’
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
If there were a club for people who confuse may and might, I would be its president.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
This creates what is known as the doorway effect, which confuses our brains.
From BBC ● May 29, 2026
“It confuses me that we’re struggling with that as a society. Internet access is a basic need.”
From Salon ● Apr. 26, 2026
Though the ring knows when I’ve been walking, it confuses my harried morning routine for housework.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
One of the persistent story lines in the WBC: The Americans should have more fun, which confuses exuberance with passion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
This unexpected piece of information deflates him, confuses him.
From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri
When Irene Breen got a notification in January 2025 that Instagram was removing adverts for her company's pregnancy pillows, she was confused.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Like so many executives who plunge into fraud, Macbeth isn’t confused about right and wrong.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
But Sorkin has changed his name and upped his age, so as fun and ferocious as Burr is, we also spend his scenes feeling a little confused.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
It is often confused with the International Court of Justice, also based in The Hague, which settles disputes between countries.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
When the souls leave the body, they can be angry, confused, or simply unwilling to embark on the Death Journey.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Dobson replied: "I can't recall anything specific that was said. I only remember the atmosphere and panicked, urgent. Feeling tense and confusing."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Although there weren’t many of them numerically, the errors that the A.I. did make were confusing and bewildering enough to be disqualifying.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
She added that the changes had inevitably led to some costs for businesses, and varying collection arrangements can sometimes be "confusing".
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Charter Amendment PL is a bit confusing, but at its core it contains five proposals that would streamline and speed up certain L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
It was hard to tell a lot of times, because the directions were confusing, but if I stared and stared at the pictures, usually I could figure it out in the end.
From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
