bamboozle

[ bam-boo-zuhl ]
See synonyms for bamboozle on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),bam·boo·zled, bam·boo·zling.
  1. to deceive or get the better of (someone) by trickery, flattery, or the like; humbug; hoodwink (often followed by into): They bamboozled us into joining the club.

verb (used without object),bam·boo·zled, bam·boo·zling.
  1. to practice trickery, deception, cozenage, or the like: He has been known to bamboozle, so I don't trust him.

Origin of bamboozle

1
First recorded in 1695–1705; origin uncertain

word story For bamboozle

Bamboozle is one of those words that has been confounding etymologists for centuries. No one knows for sure what its origins are. One thing we do know is that it was originally considered “low language,” at least among such defenders of the language as British satirist Jonathan Swift, who hoped (and predicted) that it would quickly fade from the English lexicon.
The earliest meaning of bamboozle was “to deceive by trickery, hoodwink,” which is why some believe that it arose among the criminals of the underworld. One colorful, but unlikely, theory has it that bamboozle comes from bombazine, a kind of fabric that, dyed black, used to be worn for mourning. One has to imagine black-bombazine-wearing widows in the mid- to late 17th century bilking young gentlemen out of their purses.
By 1712, it had acquired the sense “to perplex; mystify.” It is not known for certain, but this sense might have emerged under the influence of the Scottish word bumbaze (or bombaze), meaning “to confuse,” similar in both sound and meaning. Given the befuddling qualities of alcohol, it's not too surprising to find that, in the 1800's, bamboozle showed up on college campuses as a slang term for “drunk.”
Far from slinking into obscurity, bamboozle today has left its lowly roots behind and found a secure place in the lexicon of standard English. Its very longevity stands as a reminder that you can't predict or enforce the fate of a word.

Other words for bamboozle

Other words from bamboozle

  • bam·boo·zle·ment, noun
  • bam·boo·zler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bamboozle in a sentence

  • And writes full pages about them, too, in which he only succeeds in bamboozling himself and us.

    The Book of Khalid | Ameen Rihani
  • Quick to take the cue, it being suicidal to think of bamboozling local railway officials, Irene followed.

    The Day of Wrath | Louis Tracy
  • Yes, I admit I was soft, but that was long ago, before you made a profession of bamboozling silly women.

    The Gay Gnani of Gingalee | Florence Huntley
  • Friend, I have found you out, your bamboozling of me forsooth.

  • Out of this room you do not stir; no darkness—no bamboozling!

    Erema | R. D. Blackmore

British Dictionary definitions for bamboozle

bamboozle

/ (bæmˈbuːzəl) /


verb(tr) informal
  1. to cheat; mislead

  2. to confuse

Origin of bamboozle

1
C18: of unknown origin

Derived forms of bamboozle

  • bamboozler, noun
  • bamboozlement, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012