Definition of Confound

1. Verb. Be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly. "The performance is likely to confound Sue"; "This question befuddled even the teacher"


2. Verb. Mistake one thing for another. "I mistook her for the secretary"
Exact synonyms: Confuse
Generic synonyms: Misidentify, Mistake
Related verbs: Blur, Confuse, Obnubilate, Obscure, Confuse, Jumble, Mix Up
Derivative terms: Confusion

Definition of Confound

1. v. t. To mingle and blend, so that different elements can not be distinguished; to confuse.

Definition of Confound

1. Verb. To confuse; to mix up; to puzzle. ¹

2. Verb. To fail to see the difference; to mix up; to confuse right and wrong. ¹

3. Verb. To make something worse. ¹

4. Verb. To cause to be ashamed; to abash. ¹

5. Verb. To defeat, to frustrate, to thwart. ¹

6. Verb. To damn (mild oath). ¹

7. Verb. (archaic) To bring to ruination. ¹

8. Verb. To stun, amaze ¹

9. Noun. (statistics) a confounding variable ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Confound

1. to confuse [v -ED, -ING, -S] - See also: confuse

Lexicographical Neighbors of Confound

conformative
conformator
conformators
conformed
conformer
conformers
conforming
conformingly
conformism
conformisms
conformist
conformists
conformities
conformity
conforms
confound (current term)
confounded
confoundedly
confoundedness
confounder
confounders
confoundest
confoundeth
confounding
confounding factor
confounding variable
confoundingly
confounds
confraternal
confraternities

Literary usage of Confound

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Works of George Fox by George Fox (1831)
"And the Lord heard and answered, and did confound them in their proceedings against me. And though they had most envy against me, yet the most gross errors ..."

2. British Poets of the Nineteenth Century: Poems by Wordsworth, Coleridge by Curtis Hidden Page (1910)
"God the traitor's hope confound ! To this great cause of Freedom drink, my We founded many a mighty state ; Pray God our greatness may not fail Thro' craven ..."

3. Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present: A Dictionary, Historical and by John Stephen Farmer, William Ernest Henley (1891)
"Do not confound nervousness with the megrims, or the DOLDRUMS, or any other complaint. Do not confound it with cowardice or ill-temper. 1883. ..."

4. Punch by Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Shirley Brooks, Francis Cowley Burnand, Owen Seaman (1854)
"confound my men for being beaten, And by contagious fever eaten, ... confound my generals too, I say. For being hindered in their way By obstacles they ..."

5. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon (1887)
"and Sabellius laboured to confound the Father with the Son,41 the orthodox party might be excused if they adhered more strictly and more earnestly to the ..."

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