fuddle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to muddle or confuse.
a jumble of sounds to fuddle the senses.
-
to make drunk; intoxicate.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
-
(tr; often passive) to cause to be confused or intoxicated
-
(intr) to drink excessively; tipple
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fuddle
First recorded in 1580–90; origin uncertain
Explanation
Use the noun fuddle for a confused or jumbled state. It would be easier to find your favorite shoes if your closet weren't such a fuddle of clothes, boots, and bags. The more common befuddle comes from fuddle, which has a root meaning “worthless cloth,” and was originally defined as "work in a slovenly manner." As a verb, fuddle is used to mean "confuse or stupify." If you stay up all night studying for the math test, your lack of sleep may fuddle you so much that you can't remember all the formulas you tried to memorize!
Vocabulary lists containing fuddle
"The Odyssey," Vocabulary from Part 1 of the epic poem
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Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 1
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Vocabulary from Readings 1, Unit 1
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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:
In colliding with a new type of animal, a chemical that might once have served to fuddle the wits of pests has been transformed into a glittering lure.
From Scientific American ● Jun. 24, 2020
But Selby got Fu in a fuddle on the final red and went on to take a four-frame advantage at 6-2.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2017
He bowed slightly, backed up to his chair, slumped into it in a complete fuddle.
From Time Magazine Archive
The frothy fuddle with which he drops this kind of offbeat remark is the essence of Morgan's radio character.
From Time Magazine Archive
His head was a fuddle of bushy hair and whiskers, from which his eyes peered with a guilty slant.
From Men, Women, and Boats by Crane, Stephen
That same year, Cosby struck a deal with former Montgomery County District Attorney, Bruce Castor, who fuddled the case after deciding not to file charges against Cosby.
From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2021
“Holy Smoke!” said the fuddled one; “he spoke to me—to me!”
From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2020
I spent the next few days in the hospital, fuddled and becalmed, thinking mostly about the orange popsicles from the vending machine outside my room, food of the gods that I begged from visitors.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 25, 2016
Food is no longer a reliable pleasure; radiotherapy has fuddled her taste buds, making everything taste off.
From New York Times ● May 1, 2016
Ambrose would never have managed to gull me so easily if my naturally suspicious nature hadn’t been fuddled.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
Can it be that one of the uses of a higher education is to furnish greater facility in fuddling inconvenient truth?
From The Social Principles of Jesus by Rauschenbusch, Walter
But later on, after we have had our evening cocoa and Helen has gone to bed, I prowl about the place, dipping into this and that, fuddling myself with speculation.
From The Haunted Bookshop by Morley, Christopher
And, once cured of fuddling, he turned out a most worthy and efficient fellow.
From The Idler Magazine, Vol III. May 1893 An Illustrated Monthly by Various
A root grew on the Natal flat with which I frequently captured fish; it had the effect of fuddling them, and made them jump out of the water, if used in a confined space.
From Sporting Scenes amongst the Kaffirs of South Africa by Drayson, A. W. (Alfred Wilks)
He was fumbling at his luggage for the small pasteboard box, haste fuddling his movements.
From Humoresque A Laugh on Life with a Tear Behind It by Hurst, Fannie
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.
