Meaning & use

bamboozle

verb·Everyday

To deceive, confuse, or trick someone, often through cleverness or deliberate misdirection.

See it in a sentence

The salesman tried to bamboozle customers with confusing jargon about the car's features.

She realized too late that the scheme had bamboozled hundreds of trusting investors.

A note on using this word

Bamboozle is informal and often carries a playful or mildly humorous tone, even though the act it describes is dishonest.

Words with a similar meaning

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