confound
verb
con·found
kən-ˈfau̇nd 
kän-
confounded; confounding; confounds
1
: to throw (a person) into confusion or perplexity
tactics to confound the enemy
2
3
: damn
4
a
: to fail to discern differences between : mix up
They implored Charles not to confound the innocent with the guilty …—
T. B. Macaulay
T. B. Macaulay
b
: to increase the confusion of
5
Synonyms
Examples of confound in a Sentence
The strategy confounded our opponents.
The murder case has confounded investigators.
The school's team confounded all predictions and won the game.
The success of the show confounded critics.
Recent Examples on the Web
Starliner has sprung a series of small helium leaks that have confounded NASA and Boeing and have led to a number of delays in getting off the ground and then coming home.
—Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 25 June 2024
On Friday, the Supreme Court walked back a controversial ruling from two years ago that had confounded lower courts.
—Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 June 2024
Its invasion of Ukraine has confounded policymakers in the West and raised the specter of an increasingly dangerous, conflict-prone world.
—Charles L. Glaser, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2024
The Rams owner and billionaire developer solved a puzzle that had confounded the NFL for two decades.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for confound 
Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 25 June 2024
On Friday, the Supreme Court walked back a controversial ruling from two years ago that had confounded lower courts.
—Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 June 2024
Its invasion of Ukraine has confounded policymakers in the West and raised the specter of an increasingly dangerous, conflict-prone world.
—Charles L. Glaser, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2024
The Rams owner and billionaire developer solved a puzzle that had confounded the NFL for two decades.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 16 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for confound
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confound.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near confound
Cite this Entry
“Confound.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confound. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
confound
verb
con·found
kən-ˈfau̇nd
kän-
2
: to throw into disorder : mix up : confuse
our clever tactics confounded our opponents
confoundedly
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share