Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - muddle

(muddles, muddling, muddled) 1. If people or things are in a muddle, they are in a state of confusion or disorder. My thoughts are all in a muddle... ...a general muddle of pencils and boxes... = mess N-VAR: oft in/into a N 2. If you muddle things or people, you get them mixed up, so that you do not know which is which. Already, one or two critics have begun to muddle the two names... = mix up, confuse VERB: V n • Muddle up means the same as muddle. The question muddles up three separate issues... He sometimes muddles me up with other patients. PHRASAL VERB: V P pl-n (not pron), V n P with n, also V pl-n P • muddled up I know that I am getting my words muddled up. ADJ