confuse
(redirected from confuses)Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms.
Related to confuses: Confucius
con·fuse
(kən-fyo͞oz′)v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es
v.tr.
1.
a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; bewilder or perplex.
b. Archaic To cause to feel embarrassment.
2.
a. To fail to differentiate (one person or thing) from another: confused effusiveness with affection.
b. To make more complex or difficult to understand: "The old labels ... confuse debate instead of clarifying it" (Christopher Lasch).
v.intr.
To make something unclear or incomprehensible: a new tax code that only confuses.
[Middle English confusen, from Old French confus, perplexed, from Latin cōnfūsus, past participle of cōnfundere, to mix together; see confound.]
con·fus′a·ble adj.
con·fus′ing·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
confuse
(kənˈfjuːz)vb (tr)
1. to bewilder; perplex
2. to mix up (things, ideas, etc); jumble
3. to make unclear: he confused his talk with irrelevant details.
4. to fail to recognize the difference between; mistake (one thing) for another
5. to disconcert; embarrass
6. to cause to become disordered: the enemy ranks were confused by gas.
[C18: back formation from confused, from Latin confūsus mingled together, from confundere to pour together; see confound]
conˈfusable adj, n
conˌfusaˈbility n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
con•fuse
(kənˈfyuz)v.t. -fused, -fus•ing.
1. to perplex or bewilder: The flood of questions confused me.
2. to make unclear or indistinct: The new evidence tended to confuse the issue.
3. to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake: I always confuse the twins.
4. to disconcert or abash.
5. to combine without order; jumble; disorder.
6. Archaic. to bring to ruin or naught.
[1375–1425; late Middle English, back formation from confused bewildered < Anglo-French confus (with -ed -ed2 maintaining participial sense) < Latin confūsus, past participle of confundere; see confound]
con•fus′a•ble, adj.
con•fus′a•bly, adv.
con•fus′ed•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
confuse
- Originally meant "rout" or "bring to ruin."See also related terms for ruin.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
confuse
Past participle: confused
Gerund: confusing
| Imperative |
|---|
| confuse |
| confuse |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Verb | 1. | confuse - mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary" misidentify, mistake - identify incorrectly; "Don't mistake her for her twin sister" obnubilate, obscure, blur, confuse - make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions" |
| 2. |  confuse - be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher"demoralize - confuse or put into disorder; "the boss's behavior demoralized everyone in the office" bewilder, dumbfound, flummox, baffle, mystify, nonplus, perplex, puzzle, stupefy, amaze, gravel, vex, pose, stick, beat, get - be a mystery or bewildering to; "This beats me!"; "Got me--I don't know the answer!"; "a vexing problem"; "This question really stuck me" disconcert, flurry, confuse, put off - cause to feel embarrassment; "The constant attention of the young man confused her" disorient, disorientate - cause to be lost or disoriented be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" | |
| 3. | confuse - cause to feel embarrassment; "The constant attention of the young man confused her" befuddle, confound, confuse, discombobulate, fox, bedevil, fuddle, throw - be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher" fluster - cause to be nervous or upset bother - make confused or perplexed or puzzled | |
| 4. |  confuse - assemble without order or sense; "She jumbles the words when she is supposed to write a sentence"confuse, confound - mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary" assemble, put together, tack together, set up, piece, tack - create by putting components or members together; "She pieced a quilt"; "He tacked together some verses"; "They set up a committee" | |
| 5. | confuse - make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" confuse, confound - mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary" muddy - cause to become muddy; "These data would have muddied the prediction" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
confuse
verb
1. mix up with, take for, mistake for, muddle with I can't see how anyone could confuse you two with each other.
2. bewilder, puzzle, baffle, perplex, mystify, fluster, faze, flummox, bemuse, be all Greek to (informal), nonplus Politics just confuses me.
3. obscure, cloud, complicate, muddle, darken, make more difficult, muddy the waters His critics accused him of trying to confuse the issue.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
confuse
verb1. To cause to be unclear in mind or intent:
addle, befuddle, bewilder, confound, discombobulate, dizzy, fuddle, jumble, mix up, muddle, mystify, perplex, puzzle.
Informal: throw.
Idiom: make one's head reel.
2. To cause (a person) to be self-consciously distressed:
abash, chagrin, confound, discomfit, discomfort, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, mortify.
Idioms: put on the spot, throw for a loop.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
TranslationsSelect a language:
Spanish / Español
confuse
[kənˈfjuːz] VTCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
confuse
(kənˈfjuːz) verb2. to mix up in one's mind. I always confuse John and his twin brother.confundir
3. to make puzzled. He completely confused me by his questions.desorientar, confundir, desconcertar
conˈfused adjective1. mixed up. The message I received was rather confused.confundido, desconcertado, confuso
2. mixed up in the mind. in a confused state of mind.confuso
conˈfusedly (-zidli) adverb con confusión
conˈfusion (-ʒən) nounKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
confuse
→ confundirMultilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
confuse
vt. confundir, trastornar, aturdir.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
confuse
vt confundirEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.