as in fooling
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in tricking
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hoodwinking
Noun
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The Republicans’ billionaire populism has always been a ruse.—
Jim Miller,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 June 2025 -
When Jonny and Dan were alone at camp, the two friends revealed that the entire story was a ruse!—
Nick Caruso,
TVLine,
30 May 2025
Verb
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James cuts back inside onto his right foot, fooling the defender, rather than going to the byline off his left foot.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
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Each plays a role in fooling their foe, who captures the turtle, while the deer, heeding the turtle’s good counsel, manages a sly escape.—
John Nemec,
The Conversation,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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When the magazine writer Dylan (Daryl Wein) and his girlfriend and photographer, Lucy (Abigail Cowen), descend upon the rocker Milo (Jack Farthing), there’s subterfuge afoot.—
Lisa Kennedy,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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The only safe refuge, 20 miles away, is the federal garrison at Harpers Ferry, but reaching it will require much subterfuge and even more luck.—
Alida Becker,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The show, hosted by actor Alan Cumming and set in a remote Scottish castle, features reality TV veterans and celebrities working together—and often deceiving each other—in challenges for a cash prize.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
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Appearances, though, can be deceiving.—
Bob Harkins,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Recently recovered emails, messages, photos, and videos reveal the depths of the deception.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
9 June 2025
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While this kind of deception is already possible manually, AI agents can scale it rapidly, increasing both the risk and potential volume of fraud.—
Aleksandra Bal,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
Noun
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In a nod to Chicago’s long history of bartender magicians, bars will be set up as much for trickery as for cocktails.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2025
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Medicaid fraud patterns continue to proliferate, escaping the notice of human workers doing their best to spot such trickery.—
Michael Ashley,
Forbes.com,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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For people like Soriano, however, the elections are about more than political stratagem and determining which family holds the most nominal power.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
13 May 2025
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The scene is straight out of a stratagem by Pier Paolo Pasolini (Bertolucci’s mentor), but Palud takes it literally without applying comparable ideological critique to the rest of her film.—
Armond White,
National Review,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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From the master-of-disguise frogfish to a butt-biting jackal and a multi headed caterpillar playing the decoy, these are the masters of deception and deceit.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
27 May 2025
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When a simple mistake turns into a fatal error for one of his patients, Sam tries to bury the truth under a facade of perfection, knowing that a lifetime of deceit is about to be exposed.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
22 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Hoodwinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hoodwinking. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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