confuse

con·fuse

 (kən-fyo͞oz′)

v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es

v.tr.

1.

a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; bewilder or perplex.

b. Archaic To cause to feel embarrassment.

2.

a. To fail to differentiate (one person or thing) from another: confused effusiveness with affection.

b. To make more complex or difficult to understand: "The old labels ... confuse debate instead of clarifying it" (Christopher Lasch).

v.intr.

To make something unclear or incomprehensible: a new tax code that only confuses.

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[Middle English confusen, from Old French confus, perplexed, from Latin cōnfūsus, past participle of cōnfundere, to mix together; see confound.]

---

con·fus′a·ble adj.

con·fus′ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

confuse

(kənˈfjuːz)

vb (tr)

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.

[C18: back formation from confused, from Latin confūsus mingled together, from confundere to pour together; see confound]

conˈfusable adj, n

conˌfusaˈbility n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

con•fuse

(kənˈfyuz)

v.t. -fused, -fus•ing.

1. to perplex or bewilder: The flood of questions confused me.

2. to make unclear or indistinct: The new evidence tended to confuse the issue.

3. to fail to distinguish between; associate by mistake: I always confuse the twins.

4. to disconcert or abash.

5. to combine without order; jumble; disorder.

6. Archaic. to bring to ruin or naught.

[1375–1425; late Middle English, back formation from confused bewildered < Anglo-French confus (with -ed -ed² maintaining participial sense) < Latin confūsus, past participle of confundere; see confound]

con•fus′a•ble, adj.

con•fus′a•bly, adv.

con•fus′ed•ly, adv.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

confuse

- Originally meant "rout" or "bring to ruin."

See also related terms for ruin.

Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

confuse

Past participle: confused
Gerund: confusing

Imperative

confuse

confuse

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	confuse - mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary" confound misidentify, mistake - identify incorrectly; "Don't mistake her for her twin sister" obnubilate, obscure, blur, confuse - make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions" mix up, jumble, confuse - assemble without order or sense; "She jumbles the words when she is supposed to write a sentence"
	2.	confuse - be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher" befuddle, confound, discombobulate, fox, bedevil, fuddle, throw demoralize - confuse or put into disorder; "the boss's behavior demoralized everyone in the office" bewilder, dumbfound, flummox, baffle, mystify, nonplus, perplex, puzzle, stupefy, amaze, gravel, vex, pose, stick, beat, get - be a mystery or bewildering to; "This beats me!"; "Got me--I don't know the answer!"; "a vexing problem"; "This question really stuck me" disconcert, flurry, confuse, put off - cause to feel embarrassment; "The constant attention of the young man confused her" disorient, disorientate - cause to be lost or disoriented be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
	3.	confuse - cause to feel embarrassment; "The constant attention of the young man confused her" disconcert, flurry, put off befuddle, confound, confuse, discombobulate, fox, bedevil, fuddle, throw - be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher" fluster - cause to be nervous or upset bother - make confused or perplexed or puzzled distract, deflect - draw someone's attention away from something; "The thief distracted the bystanders"; "He deflected his competitors" abash, embarrass - cause to be embarrassed; cause to feel self-conscious
	4.	confuse - assemble without order or sense; "She jumbles the words when she is supposed to write a sentence" mix up, jumble confuse, confound - mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary" addle, muddle, puddle - mix up or confuse; "He muddled the issues" assemble, put together, tack together, set up, piece, tack - create by putting components or members together; "She pieced a quilt"; "He tacked together some verses"; "They set up a committee"
	5.	confuse - make unclear, indistinct, or blurred; "Her remarks confused the debate"; "Their words obnubilate their intentions" obnubilate, obscure, blur alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue" confuse, confound - mistake one thing for another; "you are confusing me with the other candidate"; "I mistook her for the secretary" muddy - cause to become muddy; "These data would have muddied the prediction"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

confuse

verb

1. mix up with, take for, mistake for, muddle with I can't see how anyone could confuse you two with each other.

2. bewilder, puzzle, baffle, perplex, mystify, fluster, faze, flummox, bemuse, be all Greek to (informal), nonplus Politics just confuses me.

3. obscure, cloud, complicate, muddle, darken, make more difficult, muddy the waters His critics accused him of trying to confuse the issue.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

confuse

verb

1. To cause to be unclear in mind or intent:

addle, befuddle, bewilder, confound, discombobulate, dizzy, fuddle, jumble, mix up, muddle, mystify, perplex, puzzle.

Informal: throw.

Idiom: make one's head reel.

2. To cause (a person) to be self-consciously distressed:

abash, chagrin, confound, discomfit, discomfort, disconcert, discountenance, embarrass, faze, mortify.

Idioms: put on the spot, throw for a loop.

3. To take (one thing) mistakenly for another:

confound, mistake, mix up.

4. To put into total disorder:

ball up, disorder, jumble, mess up, muddle, scramble, snarl.

Slang: snafu.

Idiom: play havoc with.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

أربكيَخْلُط ما بَيْنَيُرْبِكُيُرْبِك، يُبَلْبِل، يُشَوِّشيُرْبِك، يُحَيِّر

zmástnarušitpléstpopléstzamotat

forvirreforveksleforlegenhed

verwechselnverwirrenin Unordnung bringenkonfuseVerlegenheit

μπερδεύωσυγχέω

confundirdesconcertarenredarliarcomplicar

sekoittaaerehtyä

confondreembrouillerétrulertroublerbouleverser

בלבל

pobrkati

koma ólagi á, ruglaruglarugla; koma úr jafnvægi

confondereconfusioneconfusodisorientaremettere in disordine

困惑させる混乱させる混同する

혼동하다

išmušti iš vėžiųpadrikaipainiaipainiavapainioti

apmulsinātsajauktsamainīt

verwarren

forvirreblande sammenbringe i forvirringbringe i ulageforfjamse

zmylić

confundir

путатьсмешиватьсмущатьпринять

pomešatizbegati

förvirra

สับสน

karıştırmakşaşırtmak

nhầm lẫn

使混乱把...弄糊涂搞乱混淆

confuse

[kənˈfjuːz] VT

1. (= perplex) → confundir, desconcertar
you're just confusing me → no haces más que confundirme, lo único que haces es confundirme más

2. (= mix up) → confundir
to confuse the issue → complicar el asunto
to confuse A and B → confundir A con B

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

confuse

[kənˈfjuːz] vt

(= perplex) [+ person] → embrouiller les idées de
Don't confuse me! → Ne m'embrouille pas les idées!

(= complicate) [+ issue] → embrouiller

[+ one thing with another] → confondre
You must be confusing me with someone else → Vous devez me confondre avec quelqu'un d'autre.

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

confuse

vt

(= bewilder, muddle) people → konfus machen, verwirren, durcheinanderbringen; (= make unclear) situation → verworren machen; am I confusing you? → bringe ich Sie durcheinander?, verwirrt Sie das?; don’t confuse the issue! → bring (jetzt) nicht alles durcheinander!

(= mix up) people → verwechseln; matters, issues also → durcheinanderbringen; to confuse two problems → zwei Probleme durcheinanderbringen or miteinander verwechseln

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

confuse

[kənˈfjuːz] vt → confondere

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

confuse

(kənˈfjuːz) verb

1. to put in disorder. He confused the arrangements by arriving late. verwar, deurmekaar maak, beduiwel يُرْبِك، يُبَلْبِل، يُشَوِّش причинявам безпорядък atrapalhar narušit, zamotat in Unordnung bringen forvirre αναστατώνωconfundir, complicar, enredar segi ajama به هم زدن؛ نامرتب کردن sekoittaa bouleverser לְעַרבֵב घबरा जाना pomiješati, pobrkati összezavar merusak koma ólagi á, rugla scompigliare 混乱させる 혼란 시키다 sumaišyti, suardyti sajaukt mengelirukan verwarrenforvirre, bringe i ulagepomieszać سر ګډول ، وار خطا كول، مغشو شول atrapalhar a încurca вносить неразбериху narušiť zmešati pobrkati trassla till ผสมปนเปกัน karıştırmak 打亂，弄亂 збити; зірвати درهم برهم كرنا làm lộn xộn 使混乱

2. to mix up in one's mind. I always confuse John and his twin brother. verwar يَخْلُط ما بَيْنَ вземам някого/нещо за друг/о confundir (s)plést (si) verwechseln forveksle μπερδεύω, συγχέωconfundir segi ajama اشتباه کردن؛ عوضی گرفتن sotkea confondre לְבַלבֵּל विभ्रमित होना smutiti, zamrsiti összetéveszt mengacaukan rugla (saman) confondere 混同する 혼돈케 하다 painioti sajaukt; samainīt keliru verwarrenblande sammen, forvekslemylić اشتباه كول confundir a confunda путать pliesť si pomešati pomešati förväxla สับสน karıştırmak 混淆 змішувати, сплутувати گ‍ڈ م‍ڈ کرنا nhầm lẫn 混淆

3. to make puzzled. He completely confused me by his questions. deurmekaar maak يُرْبِك، يُحَيِّر обърквам confundir zmást verwirren forvirre μπερδεύω, σαστίζω κπ. desorientar, confundir, desconcertar segadusse ajama گیج کردن häkellyttää embrouiller לְבַלבֵּל उलझ जाना smesti, zbuniti összezavar membingungkan rugla; koma úr jafnvægi confondere まごつかせる 당황하게 하다 sutrikdyti, išmušti iš vėžių apmulsināt mengelirukan verwarrenbringe i forvirring, forvirre, forfjamse skonfundować سر ګډول. embaralhar a zăpăci приводить в замешательство zmiasť zbegati zbuniti förvirra ทำให้สับสน şaşırtmak 把...弄糊塗 збивати, спантеличувати خلط ملط كرنا làm ai lúng túng 把...弄糊涂

conˈfused adjective

1. mixed up. The message I received was rather confused. deurmekaar, verward مُلْتَبِس объркан confuso zmatený verworren forvirrende συγκεχυμένοςconfundido, desconcertado, confuso segane در هم بر هم؛ نامرتب sekava confus מְבוּלבַּל उलझा हुआ zbrkan, pobrkan zavaros kacau ruglingslegur, óskipulegur confuso 混乱した 식별할 수 없는 painus, miglotas neskaidrs; sajaukts keliru verwardforvirret, forvirrende, rotet pogmatwany ګد ودول confuso confuz запутанный zmätený nejasen konfuzan rörig, oredig ที่ปนเป anlaşılmaz 混淆的 заплутаний خلط ملط lộn xộn 混乱的

2. mixed up in the mind. in a confused state of mind. deurmekaar, verward مُرْتَبِك разстроен confuso zmatený verwirrt forvirret σαστισμένοςconfuso segaduses سر درگم؛ گیج häkeltynyt troublé מְבוּלבַּל उलझा हुआ smeten, smušen összezavart bingung ruglaður, ringlaður confuso まごついた 혼돈된 pasimetęs, sutrikęs apmulsis berkecamuk verwardforvirret, forfjamset skonfundowany ګنګس confuso tulburat поставленный в тупик zmätený zmeden zbunjen förvirrad ที่สับสน şaşırmış, aklı karışmış 被弄糊塗的 сплутаний گ‍ڈ م‍ڈ lúng túng 弄糊涂的

conˈfusedly (-zidli) adverb

deurmekaar, verward بصورة مرتبكه объркано confusamente zmateně verwirrt forvirret σε σύγχυση, συγκεχυμένα con confusión segaselt بطور در هم و برهم؛ با گیجی häkeltyneesti confusément בִּמבוּכָה चकराये हुए ढंग से smeten, smušen zavarosan bingung ruglingslega confusamente 混乱して 혼란하여 padrikai, painiai neskaidri; sajaukti; apmulsumā dengan keliru verward forvirret, forvirrende; rotet w nieładzie, z zakłopotaniem ګنګسی confusamente confuz в замешательстве zmätene zmedeno zbunjeno förvirrat อย่างสับสน şaşkın bir şekilde 混淆不清地 заплутано; сплутано پريشان، گ‍ھبرايا هوا bối rối 混乱地

conˈfusion (-ʒən) noun

wanorde, warboel, verwarring, deurmekaarspul, deurmekaarheid, roesemoes إضْطِراب، بَلْبَلَه бъркотия confusão zmatek die Verwirrung forvirring σύγχυσηconfusión segadus گیجی؛ نابسامانی sekaannus confusionבלבול उलझन smetnja, pometnja, zbrka összezavarás kekacauan ruglingur confusione 混乱 혼란 sutrikimas, painiava neskaidrība; juceklis; apmulsums kekeliruan verwarringforvirring, røre, rotzamieszanie, gmatwanina وار خطا يى، مغشوش والى، ګډوډتيا confusão confuzie замешательство zmätok zmeda konfuzija förvirring, oreda ความสับสน karışıklık, şaşkınlık 混亂(狀態)，混淆，困惑 замішання; плутанина گ‍ڑ ب‍ڑ، ابترى sự lộn xộn 混乱，混淆，困惑

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

confuse

→ يُرْبِكُ poplést forvirre verwechseln συγχέω confundir sekoittaa confondre pobrkati confondere 困惑させる 혼동하다 verwarren forvirre zmylić confundir путать förvirra สับสน karıştırmak nhầm lẫn 搞乱

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

confuse

vt. confundir, trastornar, aturdir.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

confuse

vt confundir

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.