What is another word for confuse ?

make someone scratch their head

To cause to be bewildered

cause to be at a stand

take your breath away

leave aghast

stop someone in their tracks

knock the stuffing out of

hit like a ton of bricks

make your head spin

knock for a loop

knock over with feather

cause to lose your bearings

balk^US

baulk^UK

paralyse^UK

paralyze^US

tie somebody in knots

cause someone to lose their composure

throw into a tizz

put into a flap

put someone off their stroke

catch unawares

chagrin

leave speechless

sweep someone off their feet

hypnotize^US

appall^US

hypnotise^UK

appal^UK

enthral^UK

mesmerize^US

enthrall^US

scandalize^US

galvanize^US

mesmerise^UK

galvanise^UK

scandalise^UK

set someone back on their heels

make one's hair stand on end

knock down with a feather

traumatize^US

antagonize^US

traumatise^UK

antagonise^UK

terrorize^US

raise someone's eyebrows

rivet the attention of

fright

make splash

completely surprise

shake out of your complacency

give a turn

make someone's blood run cold

hit like ton of bricks

energize^US

invigorate^US

make one's blood run cold

terrorise^UK

scare the daylights out of

magnetize^US

magnetise^UK

envigorate^UK

energise^UK

turn on

get someone going

fire with enthusiasm

give someone a charge

stir up

give a buzz

fire someone's imagination

pump up

give someone a kick

light a fire under

more ❯

“His way of thinking defied logic and would completely confuse me.”

Verb

To make something more complex

color^US

colour^UK

throw up smoke screen

discolour^UK

discolor^US

render unintelligible

muck up

make intricate

more ❯

“A lot of data in this report is superfluous and only serves to confuse the facts.”

Verb

To mistake something for something else

“Some people confuse Scooby Doo with Marmaduke.”

Verb

To throw into a state of distress marked by confusion

put someone off their stroke

appal^UK

appall^US

put out of countenance

mystify

put someone off their stride

set someone back on their heels

destabilize^US

destabilise^UK

make someone scratch their head

throw into a tizz

put into a flap

cause to be at a stand

pother

burn up

rattle one's cage

pull the rug from under

pull the rug out from under

make someone laugh on the other side of their face

terrorize^US

terrorise^UK

ferment

consternate

make someone laugh out of the other side of their mouth

balk^US

cause someone to lose their composure

baulk^UK

throw into tizzy

drive you out of your mind

disappoint

take by surprise

try

stop someone in their tracks

dampen the spirits of

cause to lose hope

cause to lose heart

dampen someone's hopes

agonize^US

agonise^UK

tantalise^UK

tantalize^US

make one's hair stand on end

make one's blood run cold

scare the daylights out of

hurt somebody's feelings

weigh heavily on one's mind

mess with someone's head

make someone jump out of their skin

scare the pants off

scare someone half to death

scare the bejesus out of

give someone goose pimples

throw into a fright

make one's flesh creep

give someone the heebie-jeebies

give one the creeps

freeze your blood

scare someone out of their wits

get the wind up

put the fear of God into

scare the living daylights out of

throw into a blue funk

chill to the marrow

turn off

be repugnant to

make someone feel nauseous

gross out

make your gorge rise

turn stomach

make someone want to throw up

disillusion

disenchant

disgruntle

paralyse^UK

paralyze^US

fill with consternation

more ❯

“The tiny plate given to him at the seafood buffet would confuse Homer, and he rushed to grab the entire steam tray instead.”

Verb

throw into a state of disorganization

To throw into disorder

reorganize^US

reorganise^UK

throw a spanner in the works

boggle

throw a monkey wrench in the works of

more ❯

“Please adhere to our strict filing system so as not to confuse the organization of our documents.”

Verb

put a wrong interpretation on

To fail to understand (something) correctly

receive a false impression

be under a delusion

get the wrong impression

get the wrong idea about

get the wrong end of the stick

be barking up the wrong tree

get your lines crossed about

get hold of the wrong end of the stick

fail to understand

be misguided about

misperceive

take something the wrong way

misrepresent

don't know

not understand

get the wrong impression about

have wrong impression

be off the mark

be wrong about

make a wrong interpretation of

take out of context

get a false impression of

get your lines crossed

be at cross-purposes with

get your wires crossed

come to hasty conclusion

bark up wrong tree

jump to the wrong conclusion about

calculate wrongly

get the wrong end of the stick about

more ❯

Verb

put a spoke in someone's wheel

To cause to fail, or to make great attempts to

baulk^UK

balk^US

take wind out of

spike someone's guns

queer someone's pitch

throw a spanner in the works

throw a monkey wrench in the works of

neutralize^US

neutralise^UK

destabilize^US

throw monkey wrench in

destabilise^UK

bring to screeching halt

put a wrench in the works

beat someone to the draw

beat someone to the punch

put a spanner in the works

throw a monkey wrench in the works

prevent from making progress

throw a spoke in the wheel of

take wind out of sails

not allow to go beyond

keep within the limits of

minimize^US

minimise^UK

bring to a standstill

throw a monkey wrench into

ostracize^US

ostracise^UK

outmaneuver^US

put someone off their stroke

cause someone to lose their composure

slip through your fingers

more ❯

Verb

give a false impression of

To alter something from its true state, typically to deceive

colour^UK

color^US

give a false account of

put words in someone's mouth

put the wrong slant on

mold^US

mould^UK

dramatize^US

twist someone's words

romanticise^UK

dramatise^UK

romanticize^US

manipulate one's words

give a false picture of

more ❯

Verb

be head and shoulders above

To outsmart, to beat in a competition of wits

outmaneuver^US

get the upper hand over

gain the advantage over

go beyond

scoop

be more than a match for

more ❯

Verb

pull the wool over someone's eyes

To deceive or fool someone

lead up the garden path

more ❯

Verb

put someone off their stride

To trick or deceive with a ploy or ruse

Verb

To injure a person's dignity and self-respect

dishonor^US

dishonour^UK

make someone eat crow

make someone eat humble pie

put out of countenance

take down a peg or two

put someone in their place

settle someone's hash

stigmatize^US

stigmatise^UK

minimize^US

minimise^UK

drag through the mire

dehumanize^US

dehumanise^UK

disfavor^US

disfavour^UK

criticize^US

criticise^UK

have the last laugh on

bastardize^US

bastardise^UK

lower someone's status

lower someone's dignity

scandalize^US

get one's comeuppance

scandalise^UK

make someone feel ashamed

force to eat humble pie

be untrue to oneself

beat down

abandon one's principles

shoot down in flames

score off

let wind out of sails

declass

show in bad light

knock the stuffing out of

destroy someone's credibility

pummel^US

pummelled^UK

ruin the reputation of

pooh-pooh

bring into disfavour

blacken someone's name

damage someone's reputation

damage the reputation of

discolour^UK

discolor^US

harm the reputation of

muddy the reputation of

blacken the reputation of

drag someone's name through the mud

trivialize^US

brutalize^US

categorize^US

brutalise^UK

trivialise^UK

become a stain of the escutcheon of

blemish the reputation of

tarnish the reputation of

become a blot of the escutcheon of

categorise^UK

run a smear campaign against

blacken the character of

lie about

cast slur on

more ❯

Verb