Meanings
present singular third person bamboozles · participle present bamboozling · participle past bamboozled · past bamboozled · alternative obsolete bambooze
- informaltransitiveTo con, defraud, trick, to make a fool of, to humbug or impose on someone.
‘A clever ruse to bamboozle us.’
1936, Norman Lindsay, The Flyaway Highway, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 1052 more examples
“Look here, friend,” said I, “if you have anything important to tell us, out with it; but if you are only trying to bamboozle us, you are mistaken in your game; that’s all I have to say.”
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “chapter 19”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLCYou thought it was nope. But actually it's a pupper. Bamboozled again.
2018 March 6, Lucid Software, Nope Chart - Internet Names for Spiders, YouTube - informaltransitiveTo confuse, frustrate or perplex.
He's completely bamboozled by the changes in the computer system.
2 more examples
"Although Morphy misplays the opening, it does not take him long to bamboozle his opponent."
1951 February, “Chess Caviar”, in Chess ReviewClarke's defence, bolstered by the return of Grant Hanley, was bamboozled by a flurry of Faroese raids, at least one of which should have delivered a goal.
2021 October 12, Jamie Lyall, “Faroe Islands 0-1 Scotland”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 18 Nov 2021
plural bamboozles · alternative obsolete bambooze
- informalobsoleteA cheat, hoax, or imposition.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbconceal one's true motives from especially by elaborately feigning good intentions so as to gain an end
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Derivative of 17th-century vernacular bam (“to trick, to con”), which is a derivative of bam in noun use (fraudster, cheat). Possibly from French embobiner.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian баламосвам
- баламосвам (balamosvam)to con, defraud, trick
Catalan enredar, engalipar
- enredarto con, defraud, trick
- engaliparto con, defraud, trick
Czech napálit, poplést
- napálitto con, defraud, trick
- popléstto con, defraud, trick
- obalamutitto con, defraud, trick
- doběhnoutto con, defraud, trick
- ošiditto con, defraud, trick
Dutch bedriegen, misleiden
- bedriegento con, defraud, trick
- misleidento con, defraud, trick
Finnish huijata
- huijatato con, defraud, trick
French embrouiller, moquer
- embrouillerto con, defraud, trick
- moquerto con, defraud, trick
- enfumerto con, defraud, trick
German beschwindeln, tricksen
- beschwindelnto con, defraud, trick
- tricksento con, defraud, trick
Hungarian félrevezet, becsap
- félrevezetto con, defraud, trick
- becsapto con, defraud, trick
- rászedto con, defraud, trick
- felültetto con, defraud, trick
- lóvá teszto con, defraud, trick
- átverto con, defraud, trick
- átvágto con, defraud, trick
- átrázto con, defraud, trick
- átejtto con, defraud, trick
- bepalizto con, defraud, trick
- szédítto con, defraud, trick
Italian mistificare
- mistificareto con, defraud, trick
Māori whakapōhēhē, whakapōkaikaha
- whakapōhēhēto con, defraud, trick
- whakapōkaikahato con, defraud, trick
Norwegian lure, snyte
- lure, snyteto con, defraud, trick
Polish napuszczać, napuścić
- napuszczaćto con, defraud, trick
- napuścićto con, defraud, trick
- wrabiaćto con, defraud, trick
- wrobićto con, defraud, trick
- wykiwaćto con, defraud, trick
- robić w bambukoto con, defraud, trick
Portuguese lograr, ludibriar
- lograrto con, defraud, trick
- ludibriarto con, defraud, trick
Romanian păcăli, înșela
- păcălito con, defraud, trick
- înșelato con, defraud, trick
- escrocato con, defraud, trick
Russian обма́нывать
- обма́нывать (obmányvatʹ)to con, defraud, trick
Spanish engañar, timar
- engañarto con, defraud, trick
- timarto con, defraud, trick
- embabucarto con, defraud, trick
- mecerto con, defraud, trick
- embaucarto con, defraud, trick
Swedish lura, förleda
- lurato con, defraud, trick
- förledato con, defraud, trick
- duperato con, defraud, trick
- bedrato con, defraud, trick
Cite this entry
bamboozle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bamboozle
“bamboozle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bamboozle. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bamboozle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bamboozle.
Source: bamboozle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.