confuse

con-fuse · verb

imported

Definitions

verb

  1. 1.

    To make someone uncertain or unable to understand something.

  2. 2.

    To mistake one person or thing for another.

  3. 3.

    To make something unclear or more complicated.

Phrases & expressions

  • confuse the issue — to make something harder to understand
  • confuse A with B — to mistake one thing for another

Related words

Etymology

From Latin confundere ("to pour together, mix, confuse"), from con- ("together") + fundere ("to pour"). The original sense was of mixing things together so they become indistinguishable.