English Explanatory Dictionary

bamboozle

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To con, defraud, trick, to make a fool of, to humbug or impose on someone.
  2. To confuse, frustrate or perplex.
noun
  1. A cheat, hoax, or imposition.

Pronunciation

/bæmˈbuː.zl̩/ /bæmˈbu.zl̩/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-bamboozle.wav

Word forms

bamboozle bamboozles bamboozling bamboozled bambooze

Etymology

Derivative of 17th-century vernacular bam (“to trick, to con”), which is a derivative of bam in noun use (fraudster, cheat). Possibly from French embobiner.

Derived words

bamboozl(e)able bamboozlement bamboozler bambosh bamfoozle debamboozle
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on B Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary