confound

[ kon-found, kuhn-; for 6 usually kon-found ]
See synonyms for: confoundconfoundedconfounding on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to perplex or amaze, especially by a sudden disturbance or surprise; bewilder; confuse: The complicated directions confounded him.

  2. to throw into confusion or disorder: The revolution confounded the people.

  1. to throw into increased confusion or disorder.

  2. to treat or regard erroneously as identical; mix or associate by mistake: truth confounded with error.

  3. to mingle so that the elements cannot be distinguished or separated.

  4. to damn (used in mild imprecations): Confound it!

  5. to contradict or refute: to confound their arguments.

  6. to put to shame; abash.

  7. Archaic.

    • to defeat or overthrow.

    • to bring to ruin or naught.

  8. Obsolete. to spend uselessly; waste.

Origin of confound

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English conf(o)unden, from Anglo-French confoundre, from Latin confundere “to mix,” equivalent to con- con- + fundere “to pour”

Other words for confound

Other words from confound

  • con·found·a·ble, adjective
  • con·found·er, noun
  • in·ter·con·found, verb (used with object)
  • pre·con·found, verb (used with object)
  • un·con·found, verb (used with object)

Words Nearby confound

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

How to use confound in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for confound

confound

/ (kənˈfaʊnd) /


verb(tr)
  1. to astound or perplex; bewilder

  2. to mix up; confuse

  1. to treat mistakenly as similar to or identical with (one or more other things)

  2. (kɒnˈfaʊnd) to curse or damn (usually as an expletive in the phrase confound it!)

  3. to contradict or refute (an argument, etc)

  4. to rout or defeat (an enemy)

  5. obsolete to waste

Origin of confound

1
C13: from Old French confondre, from Latin confundere to mingle, pour together, from fundere to pour

Derived forms of confound

  • confoundable, adjective
  • confounder, 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