confused; confusing
1
: to disturb in mind or purpose : throw off
The directions she gave confused us.
2
a
: to make indistinct : blur
Stop confusing the issue.
b
: to fail to differentiate from an often similar or related other
confuse money with comfort
Do not confuse the words "flaunt" and "flout."
c
: to mix indiscriminately : jumble
Their arms, legs, and bodies were confused together, till they resembled … two serpents interlaced.—
Thomas Medwin
Thomas Medwin3
: to make embarrassed : abash
4
archaic
: to bring to ruin
Examples of confuse in a Sentence
The general was trying to confuse the enemy.
The new evidence only confused matters further.
You must be confusing me with someone else.
Recent Examples on the Web
As if that wasn’t confusing enough, not all Christians agree on what day of the calendar that specific Sunday is.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 4 Apr. 2026
This was not to be confused with the Ulster Volunteer Force or the Ulster Defence Association, both terrorist organizations that vehemently favored the link with Britain.
—Colm Tóibín, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
And at least one fan confused the two very different men by sending a photo of Jack Black in his Mandalorian getup to Third Man Records, and requesting an autograph.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2026
Dyer notes that Cox may well have been confused by the mental and physical trauma of the sinking and the deprivations of five days adrift.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for confuse
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Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 4 Apr. 2026
This was not to be confused with the Ulster Volunteer Force or the Ulster Defence Association, both terrorist organizations that vehemently favored the link with Britain.
—Colm Tóibín, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
And at least one fan confused the two very different men by sending a photo of Jack Black in his Mandalorian getup to Third Man Records, and requesting an autograph.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2026
Dyer notes that Cox may well have been confused by the mental and physical trauma of the sinking and the deprivations of five days adrift.
—Matthew Wills, JSTOR Daily, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for confuse
Cite this Entry
“Confuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confuse. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
confuse
verb
con·fuse
kən-ˈfyüz 
confused; confusing
1
a
: to make mentally foggy or uncertain : perplex
the complicated problem confused us
b
: to cause to be embarrassed or upset
2
: to make unclear : blur
stop confusing the issue
3
: to make disordered : jumble
the cords were all confused together
4
: to fail to tell apart
teachers always confused the twins
confusedly
adverb
-ˈfyüz(-ə)d-lē
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