as in to deceive
to cause to believe what is untrue
Tom Sawyer famously hoodwinked the other boys into thinking there was nothing more enjoyable than whitewashing a fence
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Recent Examples of hoodwink
Invited to provide his thoughts on this, Arbeloa stressed he won’t be hoodwinked.
—
Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
That rowdy group is out to swindle and hoodwink rich guys.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
Even as the Deliriant and his pint-size accomplice attempt to hoodwink a monster, they’re left to wonder, poignantly, if anything in their duplicitous world is real.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
Reps for Young and Baez declined to comment, much like reps for Bob Dylan, Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, and others who have passed on making statements about AI imagery that’s hoodwinked whatever percentage of their fan bases.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
That rowdy group is out to swindle and hoodwink rich guys.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 14 Jan. 2026
Even as the Deliriant and his pint-size accomplice attempt to hoodwink a monster, they’re left to wonder, poignantly, if anything in their duplicitous world is real.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
Reps for Young and Baez declined to comment, much like reps for Bob Dylan, Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, and others who have passed on making statements about AI imagery that’s hoodwinked whatever percentage of their fan bases.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hoodwink
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwink
Verb
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The strategists also warned a thin market, suddenly being moved by a large trader, can deceive the market’s outcome.—
Ananya Chetia,
CNBC,
25 May 2026
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In 2023, Newsom announced California's landmark lawsuit against major oil companies, accusing them of deceiving the public about climate change and linking fossil fuel emissions to worsening heat waves, droughts and devastating wildfires.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
23 May 2026
Verb
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He has been fooled into selling them out for less than a pack of gum.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
24 May 2026
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He should not be fooled by the sudden enthusiasm around the arrival of the young players who have emerged recently.—
Bill Madden,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2026
Verb
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Fortunately, unlike Deborah’s scheme to use Ava and pose as a lesbian couple to trick Burnett’s white jumpsuit off an old comedy rival (Cherry Jones), the problem wasn’t one of ownership, but of size.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
22 May 2026
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An apparel site from FBI director Kash Patel has been spotted trying to trick macOS users into installing malware.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
21 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoodwink.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwink. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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