word-vault/dist/data/cards/co/confuse.json

A lightweight JavaScript package for English word definitions and collections.

{
    "term": "confuse",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "b1",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "confuse",
            "heSheIt": "confuses"
        },
        "pastSimple": "confused",
        "pastParticiple": "confused",
        "ingForm": "confusing"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to make somebody unable to think clearly or understand something",
            "sensetop": "confuse somebodyconfuse somebody with something",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "These two sets of statistics are guaranteed to confuse the public.",
                    "contextForm": "confuse somebody"
                },
                {
                    "text": "They confused me with conflicting accounts of what happened.",
                    "contextForm": "confuse somebody with something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Seeing the two of them together totally confused me."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They have deliberately confused the general public with their claims."
                },
                {
                    "text": "These instructions confused everyone."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["completely", "really", "thoroughly"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to think wrongly that somebody/something is somebody/something else",
            "sensetop": "confuse A and Bconfuse A with Bconfuse A for B",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "People often confuse me and my twin sister.",
                    "contextForm": "confuse A and B"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Be careful not to confuse quantity with quality.",
                    "contextForm": "confuse A with B"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She says that meteors breaking apart can easily be confused for UFOs.",
                    "contextForm": "confuse A for B"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I sometimes confuse Jane with her sister."
                },
                {
                    "text": "You can easily confuse the two paintings."
                },
                {
                    "text": "An apology for something should not be confused with genuine remorse."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The Tasmanian wolf is not to be confused with the dingo."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The condition can sometimes be confused for influenza."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["easily"],
                "preposition": ["for", "with"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to make a subject more difficult to understand",
            "sensetop": "confuse something",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "His comments only served to confuse the issue further."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There are too many different rules confusing the situation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Just to confuse matters, they have decided to give all the streets new names."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His latest comments only serve to confuse the issue further."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I will try to be brief and avoid further confusing the issue."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["completely", "really", "thoroughly"]
            }
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfjuːz/",
                "audio": "xc/confuse/xconfuse__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfjuːzɪz/",
                "audio": "xc/confuse/xconfuses__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfjuːzd/",
                "audio": "xc/confuse/xconfused__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfjuːzɪŋ/",
                "audio": "xc/confuse/xconfusing__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfjuːz/",
                "audio": "xc/confuse/xconfuse__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfjuːzɪz/",
                "audio": "xc/confuse/xconfuses__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfjuːzd/",
                "audio": "xc/confuse/xconfused__us_3.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kənˈfjuːzɪŋ/",
                "audio": "xc/confuse/xconfusing__us_3.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English (in the sense ‘rout, bring to ruin’): from Old French confus, from Latin confusus, past participle of confundere ‘mingle together’. Originally all senses of the verb were passive, and therefore appeared only as the past participle confused; the active voice occurred rarely until the 19th cent. when it began to replace confound."
}