muddle

Syllabification: (mud·dle)

Pronunciation: /ˈmədl/

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Definition of muddle

verb

[with object]

bring into a disordered or confusing state:they were muddling up the cards
confuse (a person or their thoughts):I do not wish to muddle him by making him read more books
[no object] busy oneself in a confused and ineffective way:he was muddling about in the kitchen
mix (a drink) or stir (an ingredient) into a drink.

noun

[usually in singular]

an untidy and disorganized state or collection:a muddle of French, English, Ojibwa, and a dash of Gaelic the finances were in a muddle
a mistake arising from or resulting in confusion:a bureaucratic muddle

Phrasal Verbs

muddle through: cope more or less satisfactorily despite lack of expertise, planning, or equipment:we don’t have an ultimate ambition; we just muddle through
muddle something up: confuse two or more things with each other:at the time, archaeology was commonly muddled up with paleontology

Derivatives

muddlingly
muddly

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'wallow in mud'): perhaps from Middle Dutch moddelen, frequentative of modden 'dabble in mud'; compare with mud. The sense 'confuse' was initially associated with alcoholic drink (late 17th century), giving rise to 'busy oneself in a confused way' and 'jumble up' (mid 19th century)

muddle in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of muddle in the British & World English dictionary

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Other

muddle

verb

noun

Phrasal Verbs

muddle through

muddle something up

Derivatives

muddlingly

muddly

Origin:

muddle in other Oxford dictionaries

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