to make a person unable to think clearly or understand something
The complicated instructions confused Maria, so she asked for help.
Too many pop-up windows on the screen can confuse users.
✦ From Latin ‘confūsus’, past participle of ‘confundere’ meaning ‘to pour together, mingle, confuse’.
to mistake one person or thing for another; mix up in your mind
I always confuse his twin sons because they look so alike.
Some students confuse ‘affect’ and ‘effect’ in their essays.
✦ Same origin as other sense: Latin ‘confundere’, ‘to pour together’.
