confuses

verb

present tense third-person singular of confuse
1
as in perplexes
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty the similar-sounding words "censure" and "censor" often confuse people

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in complicates
to make (something) unclear to the understanding stop confusing the issue with irrelevant facts

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in mistakes
to fail to differentiate (a thing) from something similar or related a lot of people confuse popular fame with enduring achievement

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in embarrasses
to throw into a state of self-conscious distress she was confused by the shocking bluntness of his marriage proposal

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in disrupts
to undo the proper order or arrangement of vandals had hopelessly confused the papers in the office files

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of confuses Retreat to the previous paragraph if the question confuses you. — John Tamny, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026 Any adversary who confuses media noise with American weakness will discover the truth the hard way. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026 These opportunists drown out the core mission, creating a cacophony of competing voices that confuses donors, crowd the inboxes of CEOs and members of Congress with colliding petitions, and paralyzes meaningful action by draining critical funding and attention away from the truly effective groups. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026 But nobody confuses Harvard Extension School classes with the real thing. — Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 23 June 2026 If a neighbor or sibling confuses the thread, summarize and invite a decision. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 22 June 2026 The whole concept of toxic fandom confuses me because, outside of the anger and backwards thinking, because who cares about a movie franchise that much? — Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026 The herb’s fragrance confuses and deters pests from eating your peppers. — Sheryl Geerts, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 June 2026 If a portal confuses you, call the provider, pharmacy or insurance plan directly using the number on your card or the official website. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confuses
  1. perplexes
  2. complicates
  3. mistakes
  4. embarrasses
  5. disrupts
  6. bewilders
  7. blurs
  8. conflates
Verb
  • This sort of manipulation produces volatility and perplexes markets.
    — Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • But the unknown in that equation is what perplexes the Mavericks and has the team stuck for now.
    — Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 1 Jan. 2026
Definition of perplexes
Verb
  • Returning the silent treatment, meanwhile, only complicates a problem already caused by a lack of communication.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The latest chapter of the Buss family drama only further complicates this pending sale.
    — Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of complicates
Verb
  • The trouble is that this phenomenon mistakes a niche for a culture.
    — Mckenna Friedland, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
  • On my flight home, a man my exact age mistakes me for a college student traveling with her parents.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of mistakes
Verb
  • Graft inquiry embarrasses Zelensky Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said in a Telegram announcement that the investigation into Yermak is ongoing.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
  • Now the technology embarrasses an umpire even more than a player could, and what’s the recourse?
    — Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026
Definition of embarrasses
Verb
  • Montemayor told Campus Insights Media that alcohol disrupts rest at a biological level, fragmenting sleep into short bursts that leave a person feeling drained the following morning.
    — Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Plantation owners and traditional farmers often start fires to clear land for farming at low cost, triggering hazardous haze that reduces visibility, disrupts land and air transportation and threatens public health.
    — Muhammad Hatta, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of disrupts
Verb
  • As fans of the comedian know, Ali G is a streetwise interviewer whose hip hop slang often bewilders guests such as Noam Chomsky, Andy Rooney and Newt Gingrich.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 7 July 2026
  • The narrator and his wife find that their attachment to the charismatic and cryptic Chibi grows with the cat’s increasing visits, in a way that bewilders them but somehow bonds them closer together.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 June 2026
Definition of bewilders
Verb
  • As the book proceeds, James blurs his actors together, in slightly eerie ways.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Corruption talk blurs the distinctions between these three distinct things.
    — Robert Boatright, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of blurs
Verb
  • Losing the ability to speak and move has taught me how quickly society conflates physical dependence with diminished personhood.
    — Christopher Campos, STAT, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Critics argue Hinton conflates perception with experience, stressing consciousness is a first-person fact, not merely a functional process.
    — Andréa Morris, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
Definition of conflates

Browse Nearby Words

confusedness
confuses
confusing
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Cite this Entry

“Confuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confuses. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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