as in to convince
to cause (someone) to think or believe something by using methods that make a person unable to think normally
Terrorists brainwashed the prisoners. Does advertising brainwash children?
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Recent Examples of brainwash
Homelander seeks to strengthen his grip on the public and brainwash the masses into accepting him as their holy messiah.
—
Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
These young girls have been brainwashed by a political movement that exists to disenfranchise them.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 2026
Bistline further claimed that Bateman brainwashed her and initially convinced her to lie to authorities during her first interview with authorities in 2023.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
What, are you being brainwashed by communists?
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026
Artificial men become soldiers and servants (a dead detective rebuilt as RoboCop; Bucky Barnes brainwashed to become the Winter Soldier; Anakin Skywalker resurrected as Darth Vader).
—Kennedy French, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Why not live in Hank’s sick decision to brainwash his daughter into loving him?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026
Landfair claimed that she was brainwashed by Kelly.
—Katherine Lam, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Her home, District 12, has been destroyed and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) has been brainwashed by President Snow.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Oct. 2025
Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026
These young girls have been brainwashed by a political movement that exists to disenfranchise them.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 May 2026
Bistline further claimed that Bateman brainwashed her and initially convinced her to lie to authorities during her first interview with authorities in 2023.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
What, are you being brainwashed by communists?
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2026
Artificial men become soldiers and servants (a dead detective rebuilt as RoboCop; Bucky Barnes brainwashed to become the Winter Soldier; Anakin Skywalker resurrected as Darth Vader).
—Kennedy French, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Why not live in Hank’s sick decision to brainwash his daughter into loving him?
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026
Landfair claimed that she was brainwashed by Kelly.
—Katherine Lam, CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Her home, District 12, has been destroyed and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) has been brainwashed by President Snow.
—Haadiza Ogwude, Cincinnati Enquirer, 12 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for brainwash
Verb
-
Proctor, who had worked at the VA years earlier, tried to convince her husband to seek help as the bills piled up.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
-
Doug is convinced the compliments were the perfect medicine.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Influencers have become a routine part of persuading voters in local, state and national races as legacy media’s reach has waned, though there are few laws on the books regulating them.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
15 May 2026
-
Neither leader elaborated on what persuaded them about the possibility of peace in Europe’s longest conflict since World War II.—
Hanna Arhirova,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
The empty foam block with adjustable armrests induced more fear.—
Weike Wang,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
While a hysterectomy can induce menopause if they ovaries are removed, hysterectomies without ovarian removal may not necessarily trigger menopause.—
Sandra Rose Salathe,
Flow Space,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Mercury enters Gemini in your 5th House of Creativity, bringing fresh language, playful ideas, and more courage around self expression.—
Tarot.com,
Chicago Tribune,
17 May 2026
-
The holiday weekend brought even more people into the city.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Fu also stressed that more work needs to be done to boost domestic demand, urging businesses to improve their offerings to attract consumers.—
Anniek Bao,Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
18 May 2026
-
Discussing the genesis of the project during a panel at the summit, mk2’s Elisha Karmitz said the company’s work with YouTube allows mk2 to attract a new, younger audience to cinemas.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
Lifting the interest rates paid for deposits that banks park at the Fed would entice lenders to divert dollars from checking and savings accounts to the Central Bank, curbing the loan portfolios that fuel expenditures across the economy.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
19 May 2026
-
But to get there, Kalshi and Polymarket need to entice market-makers like Citadel Securities and Jane Street to take the other side of whatever bet these platforms’ vibe-surfing users want to make.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
The lawsuit alleges the captain later confronted Steward and attempted to pressure him into taking the matter to human resources in an effort to influence the investigation.—
Ben Wheeler
May 20,
Kansas City Star,
20 May 2026
-
Researchers also noted that the result may influence other geometry problems long thought unrelated to number theory.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Officials allege the group sold the oil under false pretenses and used the profits to sustain and expand the original food fraud scheme.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
-
It is being sold through Leslie McElwreath at Sotheby's International.—
Gillian Telling,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Brainwash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/brainwash. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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