hoodwink
|hood-wink|
🇺🇸
/ˈhʊdwɪŋk/
🇬🇧
/ˈhʊd.wɪŋk/
to blindfold or conceal to trick
Etymology
'hoodwink' originates from English, specifically a combination of the words 'hood' and 'wink', where 'hood' meant 'a covering for the head' and 'wink' meant 'to close the eyes'.
'hood' (Old English 'hōd') and 'wink' (Old English 'wincian') were combined in Early Modern English to form 'hoodwink' originally meaning 'to blindfold'; the verb then developed figurative senses of deceiving.
Initially it meant 'to blindfold or cover someone's eyes', but over time it evolved into its current primary meaning of 'to deceive or trick by misleading'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an act of deceiving; a trick or stratagem intended to mislead.
The whole investment scheme was just a hoodwink to steal people's money.
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Noun 2
a person who deceives (less common; often expressed as 'hoodwinker').
He was known in the town as a hoodwink because of his many scams.
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Verb 1
to blindfold (someone) by putting a hood or covering over their eyes.
They hoodwinked the prisoner before moving him to another location.
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Last updated: 2025/12/25 16:13