befog

verb

bi-ˈfȯg How to pronounce befog (audio)
Definition of befognext
1
as in to confuse
to make (something) unclear to the understanding the professor's convoluted explanation only befogged the textbook's presentation of this scientific principle

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to obscure
to make dark, dim, or indistinct the morning murk befogged our view of the harbor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to bewilder
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty completely befogged by the sudden change of subject

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of befog The detective blames Nichols, the self-aggrandizing adviser who convinced the Cabazons to build a casino, for conjuring the intrigue that continued to befog the case long after his death. — Andrew Rice, WIRED, 4 Feb. 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for befog
  1. confuse
  2. obscure
  3. bewilder
  4. becloud
  5. darken
  6. perplex
  7. obfuscate
  8. blur
Verb
  • At last week's race in Azerbaijan, Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas crashed on the last lap and reportedly blamed it on the software becoming confused and affecting his braking.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Immigrant parents there wanted help writing to their kids’ teachers and making sense of confusing forms.
    — Steven Choi, New York Daily News, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of confuse
Verb
  • Aggregate data can obscure radically different labor market realities, and monetary policy calibrated only to the aggregate can miss the productive capacity sitting beneath it.
    — Katica Roy, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Racing on Crait kicks up those vibrant red dust clouds, which obscure the view of other racers and can even slow them down.
    — Hayes Madsen, Space.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of obscure
Verb
  • Latif is conflicted by his double life, bewildered by his doubling of parental responsibilities, constantly trying to think two moves ahead yet always ending up three steps behind.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Dan emerges as Primetime’s unlikely heart, bewildered by the dark world he’s wandered into and left to negotiate his ambitions with the high stakes of the job.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bewilder
Verb
  • But instead of sounding the alarm, defendants went out of their way to becloud the emerging scientific consensus.
    — Edward Fitzpatrick, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2019
  • His flacks and surrogates hand out scraps of information grudgingly, infrequently, and beclouded by fragrant eructations of doublespeak.
    — Charles Seife, Slate Magazine, 1 Mar. 2017
Definition of becloud
Verb
  • In its latest incarnation, designed by the firm S9, the curtain wall has darkened and the electronic billboards brightened, so that the tower resembles a TV mount, more apparatus than architecture.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Verity is immobile and catatonic, and Lowen learns that the family’s life is also darkened by a child’s accidental death.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of darken
Verb
  • California‘s seven Supreme Court justices appeared by turns perplexed by and incredulous of those theories during oral arguments last month.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • They were perplexed at first, flummoxed, but pleasant, and unfortunately for them, already long gone from the airport.
    — Jessica Sulima, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of perplex
Verb
  • We have been taught that such a system is too complex to dismantle, but it has been made complex to obfuscate the most obvious fact imaginable, which is that there is no justification, ever, for denying a sick person care.
    — Elizabeth Nicholas, Vanity Fair, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Throughout the history of the game, as concerned parties sought evidence, some of football’s most powerful protectors obfuscated the problem.
    — Emily Harrison, STAT, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of obfuscate
Verb
  • But even with 22 tracks to work with, the sound too often defaults to a similar muted backdrop, which blurs some of the less distinct songs together.
    — Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The move into podcasting marks another expansion for MasterClass, which has increasingly blurred the lines between online education and entertainment.
    — Anna Tingley, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of blur

Browse Nearby Words

befitting
befog
befogged
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Cite this Entry

“Befog.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/befog. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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