muddy the waters
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some have tried to muddy the waters on the events of that day, but the record is clear.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 24, 2026
"Inevitably it will somewhat muddy the waters," Rothwell says.
From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026
A trial this week is likely to further muddy the waters for troops remaining in Los Angeles, as well as any deployed in D.C. to fight crime there.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 11, 2025
A person's actions, however, can often have some plausible ambiguity that bad faith actors can exploit to muddy the waters.
From Salon • Apr. 8, 2025
The rips in the map told me that she had not intended this as a clue— Margo was too precise and assured with her clues to muddy the waters.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
