confuse
pronunciation
How to pronounce confuse in British English:
UK [kənˈfjuːz]
How to pronounce confuse in American English:
US [kənˈfjuːz]
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- Verb:
- mistake one thing for another
- be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly
- cause to feel embarrassment
- assemble without order or sense
- make unclear or incomprehensible
- make unclear, indistinct, or blurred
Word Origin
- confuse (v.)
- 1550s, in literal sense "mix or mingle things so as to render the elements indistinguishable;" attested from mid-18c. in active, figurative sense of "discomfit in mind or feeling;" not in general use until 19c., taking over senses formerly belonging to confound, dumbfound, flabbergast etc. The past participle confused (q.v.) is attested much earlier (serving as an alternative past tense to confound), and the verb here might be a back-formation from it. Related: Confusing.
Example
- 1. But investors shouldn 't confuse style with substance .
- 2. Whether real zebras are striped that way to confuse predators , has yet to be determined .
- 3. Long paragraphs , like long sentences , can confuse the reader .
- 4. When speculators confuse the market , none will make money .
- 5. Chinese ballistic missiles are more sophisticated that north korean launches and have decoy technology that could confuse u.s. missile defenses .