1
as in to confuse
to make (something) unclear to the understanding
don't becloud the discussion by raising unrelated issues
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2
as in to obscure
to make dark, dim, or indistinct
the smog from the city's steel mills was once so oppressive that it beclouded the local landscape even at noon
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of becloud
But instead of sounding the alarm, defendants went out of their way to becloud the emerging scientific consensus.
—
Edward Fitzpatrick, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2019
His flacks and surrogates hand out scraps of information grudgingly, infrequently, and beclouded by fragrant eructations of doublespeak.
—Charles Seife, Slate Magazine, 1 Mar. 2017
Edward Fitzpatrick, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2019
His flacks and surrogates hand out scraps of information grudgingly, infrequently, and beclouded by fragrant eructations of doublespeak.
—Charles Seife, Slate Magazine, 1 Mar. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for becloud
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
The rise of high-frequency trading convinced us that everything is priced in instantly, obscuring pockets of friction.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Sheets appear to be covering the front cockpit window, obscuring what would normally be the pilots’ forward view.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Crypto transactions are recorded on a ledger that anyone can see and cannot be altered or obfuscated.—
Nic Puckrin,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Every moment of euphoria is obfuscated by distortion, every pop impulse is undercut by squealing dissonance.—
Colin Joyce,
Pitchfork,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Its flowers bloomed white in the spring, and its green summer leaves darkened to a reddish-purple hue in the fall.—
John Tufts,
IndyStar,
1 Apr. 2026
-
This linen-blend pinch pleated option is light-filtering—in other words, not as dense as room-darkening curtains or blackout designs—and available in 38 colors, with curtain rings and rods sold separately.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The photos show a boat floating over a sea clouded with what the groups say is oil, which appears to be streaming out of a platform.—
Megan Janetsky,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Elevated oil prices are fueling both inflation concerns and recessionary fears, thereby clouding the outlook for monetary policy trajectories.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Nowadays, the two positions blur together, but his father, Troy, and Harvard-Westlake coach David Rebibo insisted his aspirations were to be on the ball.—
Aaron Heisen,
Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Winter clouds and sleet blurred everything together, but as my eyes adjusted, what seemed dull grew more distinctive.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Oil rushed through the sediment and rock and blackened the water.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
My father’s thumb was huge and blackened.—
Kate Crane,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Becloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/becloud. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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