confuse - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

confuse

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/kənˈfjuːz/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/kənˈfjuz/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(kən fyo̅o̅z′)

Inflections of 'confuse' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
confuses
v 3rd person singular
confusing
v pres p
confused
v past
confused
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024
con•fuse /kənˈfyuz/USA pronunciation   v. [~ + object], -fused, -fus•ing. 
  1. to cause to make a mistake;
    mix up: The flood of questions confused me.
  2. to make hard to understand, unclear, or indistinct:Let's not confuse matters.
  3. to fail to distinguish between (two things):I always confuse the twins.[~ + object + with + object]I always confuse one twin with the other.
    confuse is a verb, confusion is a noun, confused and confusing are adjectives:All those numbers just confused me. The airport was a scene of confusion. Confused students looked at one another nervously. It was a confusing homework problem.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024
con•fuse  (kən fyo̅o̅z′),USA pronunciation v.t., -fused, -fus•ing. 
  1. to perplex or bewilder:The flood of questions confused me.
  2. to make unclear or indistinct:The rumors and angry charges tended to confuse the issue.
  3. to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake;
    confound:to confuse dates; He always confuses the twins.
  4. to disconcert or abash:His candor confused her.
  5. to combine without order;
    jumble;
    disorder:Try not to confuse the papers on the desk.
  6. [Archaic.]to bring to ruin or naught.
  • Latin confūsus, past participle of confundere; see confound
  • Anglo-French confus (with -ed -ed2 maintaining participial sense)
  • back formation from confused (since early 19th century), Middle English confused
con•fus′a•ble, adj. 
con•fus′a•bil′i•ty, n. 
con•fus′a•bly, adv. 
con•fus•ed•ly  (kən fyo̅o̅′zid lē, -fyo̅o̅zd′-),USA pronunciation adv.  con•fus′ed•ness, n. 
    • 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged mystify, nonplus.
      Confuse, disconcert, embarrass imply temporary interference with the clear working of one's mind.
      To confuse is to produce a general bewilderment:to confuse someone by giving complicated directions.To disconcert is to disturb one's mind by irritation, perplexities, etc.:to disconcert someone by asking irrelevant questions.To embarrass is to cause one to be ill at ease or uncomfortable, so that one's usual judgment and presence of mind desert one:to embarrass someone by unexpected rudeness.
    • 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged mortify, shame.
    • 5.See corresponding entry in Unabridged disarray, disarrange, disturb.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
confuse /kənˈfjuːz/ vb (transitive)
  1. to bewilder; perplex
  2. to mix up (things, ideas, etc); jumble
  3. to make unclear: he confused his talk with irrelevant details
  4. to fail to recognize the difference between; mistake (one thing) for another
  5. to disconcert; embarrass
  6. to cause to become disordered: the enemy ranks were confused by gas
Etymology: 18th Century: back formation from confused, from Latin confūsus mingled together, from confundere to pour together; see confound

conˈfusable adj n
'confuse' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
amaze - baffle - bamboozle - becloud - bedazzle - befog - befuddle - bemuddle - bemuse - bewilder - bother - box - buffalo - bumfuzzled - chaff - cloud - clutter - cobweb - confound - confusing - confusion - consternate - cross - dipsy-doodle - discombobulate - discomfit - disconcert - disorder - disorient - disorientate - distinguish - distract - disturb - doublespeak - dust - embarrass - embroil - enlighten - entangle - explain - ferdutzt - ferhoodle - flabbergast - flummox - flurry - fluster - flutter - fog - fuddle - fuzz
Collocations: confused [his opponent, her students, readers, viewers, his audience, their children], confused them by [saying, making, going, changing], confused him with a [question, word, comment, shoulder feint], more...

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