bemuse
(redirected from bemuses)Also found in: Thesaurus.
be·muse
(bĭ-myo͞oz′)tr.v. be·mused, be·mus·ing, be·mus·es
1. To cause to be bewildered; confuse.
2. To occupy the attention of; absorb or engross: The book bemused him for days.
3. Usage Problem To cause to be mildly or wryly amused: "Unlike William McKinley, whose priggishness bemused him, Roosevelt had no compunctions about smoking cigars in public" (Joseph Conlin).
be·mus′ed·ly (-myo͞o′zĭd-lē) adv.
be·muse′ment n.
Usage Note: The word bemused is sometimes used to mean "amused, especially when finding something wryly funny," as in The stream of jokes from the comedian left the audience bemused, with some breaking out into guffaws. Most of the Usage Panel does not like this usage, with 78 percent rejecting this sentence in our 2005 survey. By contrast, 84 percent accepted a sentence in which bemused means "confused."
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
bemuse
(bɪˈmjuːz)vb
(tr) to confuse; bewilder
beˈmusement n
beˈmusing adj
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
be•muse
(bɪˈmyuz)v.t. -mused, -mus•ing.
1. to bewilder; confuse.
2. to cause to become lost in thought.
[1695–1705]
be•mus′ed•ly (-ˈmyu zɪd li) adv.
be•muse′ment, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
bemuse
Past participle: bemused
Gerund: bemusing
| Imperative |
|---|
| bemuse |
| bemuse |
| Present |
|---|
| I bemuse |
| you bemuse |
| he/she/it bemuses |
| we bemuse |
| you bemuse |
| they bemuse |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I bemused |
| you bemused |
| he/she/it bemused |
| we bemused |
| you bemused |
| they bemused |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am bemusing |
| you are bemusing |
| he/she/it is bemusing |
| we are bemusing |
| you are bemusing |
| they are bemusing |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have bemused |
| you have bemused |
| he/she/it has bemused |
| we have bemused |
| you have bemused |
| they have bemused |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was bemusing |
| you were bemusing |
| he/she/it was bemusing |
| we were bemusing |
| you were bemusing |
| they were bemusing |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had bemused |
| you had bemused |
| he/she/it had bemused |
| we had bemused |
| you had bemused |
| they had bemused |
| Future |
|---|
| I will bemuse |
| you will bemuse |
| he/she/it will bemuse |
| we will bemuse |
| you will bemuse |
| they will bemuse |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have bemused |
| you will have bemused |
| he/she/it will have bemused |
| we will have bemused |
| you will have bemused |
| they will have bemused |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be bemusing |
| you will be bemusing |
| he/she/it will be bemusing |
| we will be bemusing |
| you will be bemusing |
| they will be bemusing |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been bemusing |
| you have been bemusing |
| he/she/it has been bemusing |
| we have been bemusing |
| you have been bemusing |
| they have been bemusing |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been bemusing |
| you will have been bemusing |
| he/she/it will have been bemusing |
| we will have been bemusing |
| you will have been bemusing |
| they will have been bemusing |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been bemusing |
| you had been bemusing |
| he/she/it had been bemusing |
| we had been bemusing |
| you had been bemusing |
| they had been bemusing |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would bemuse |
| you would bemuse |
| he/she/it would bemuse |
| we would bemuse |
| you would bemuse |
| they would bemuse |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have bemused |
| you would have bemused |
| he/she/it would have bemused |
| we would have bemused |
| you would have bemused |
| they would have bemused |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Verb 1. [画像:bemuse - cause to be confused emotionally]bemuse - cause to be confused emotionally
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
bemuse
verb puzzle, stun, confuse, overwhelm, stump, baffle, bewilder, muddle, daze, confound, perplex, mystify, flummox, nonplus, amaze It doesn't bemuse readers with pompous language.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
bemuse
verbThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
bemuse
[bɪˈmjuːz] vt (= bewilder) → décontenancer, déconcerterHe was rather bemused by children
BUT Les enfants le rendaient plutôt perplexe.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005