becloud

verb

be·​cloud bi-ˈklau̇d How to pronounce becloud (audio)
bē-
beclouded; beclouding; beclouds

transitive verb

1
: to obscure with or as if with a cloud
2
: to prevent clear perception or realization of : muddle
prejudices that becloud his judgment

Examples of becloud in a Sentence

don't becloud the discussion by raising unrelated issues the smog from the city's steel mills was once so oppressive that it beclouded the local landscape even at noon
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But instead of sounding the alarm, defendants went out of their way to becloud the emerging scientific consensus. Edward Fitzpatrick, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2019 His flacks and surrogates hand out scraps of information grudgingly, infrequently, and beclouded by fragrant eructations of doublespeak. Charles Seife, Slate Magazine, 1 Mar. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of becloud was in 1606

Dictionary Entries Near becloud

Cite this Entry

“Becloud.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/becloud. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

becloud

verb
be·​cloud bi-ˈklau̇d How to pronounce becloud (audio)
: to hide as if with a cloud
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!