as in tricked
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 hoodwinked
To this day, a portion of the left-wing Democratic elite views Obama as a charlatan who hoodwinked their voters into supporting him.
—
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
There’s no argument that somehow people were hoodwinked or didn’t know what was in the contract.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Public health often responds that MAHA supporters like Elizabeth, Melinda, and Nancy have been hoodwinked by social media influencers, grifters, and anti-vaccine zealots.
—Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 2026
Invited to provide his thoughts on this, Arbeloa stressed he won’t be hoodwinked.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
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
Slow Horses is a twisty show, but the assumption that Roddy had been hoodwinked by a glamorous woman far out of his league seemed about as safe a bet as possible.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
However, for your sign, money and possessions are where you might be hoodwinked or not realize what’s going on.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
Approved by voters hoodwinked by false cost estimates, the project was supposed to be operable by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Ben Smith, semafor.com, 28 Apr. 2026
There’s no argument that somehow people were hoodwinked or didn’t know what was in the contract.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 10 Mar. 2026
Public health often responds that MAHA supporters like Elizabeth, Melinda, and Nancy have been hoodwinked by social media influencers, grifters, and anti-vaccine zealots.
—Tom W. Johnson, STAT, 26 Jan. 2026
Invited to provide his thoughts on this, Arbeloa stressed he won’t be hoodwinked.
—Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026
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
Slow Horses is a twisty show, but the assumption that Roddy had been hoodwinked by a glamorous woman far out of his league seemed about as safe a bet as possible.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2025
However, for your sign, money and possessions are where you might be hoodwinked or not realize what’s going on.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 23 Sep. 2025
Approved by voters hoodwinked by false cost estimates, the project was supposed to be operable by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwinked
Verb
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Montreal opened the scoring when Dubois’ shot hit off of Elizabeth Giguere’s stick and tricked Rooney.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
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Montreal opened the scoring when Dubois' shot hit off of Elizabeth Giguere's stick and tricked Rooney.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Verb
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But the postcard Hersh received appears to be part of a misinformation campaign targeting Democrats who might be deceived into voting for two candidates, a move that would spoil their ballot.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
19 May 2026
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The return of Prince in the 11th over earned Lukcnow wickets of Devdutt Padikkal, who got deceived by a slower ball, and struggling Jitesh Sharma, who top-edged a pull shot to Pant behind the wickets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Those who love a bagel aren't to be fooled though, and the hearty breakfast sandwich has been missed since being removed from the menu in 2021.—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
11 May 2026
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Give Plants Enough Space Don’t be fooled by the size of the seedling at planting time.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hoodwinked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwinked. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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