baffle

American  

[baf-uhl] / ˈbæf əl /

verb (used with object)

baffles, present (3rd person singular) baffled, past participle, past baffling present participle

1. to confuse, bewilder, or perplex.

   He was baffled by the technical language of the instructions.

2. to frustrate or confound; thwart by creating confusion or bewilderment.

3. to check or deflect the movement of (sound, light, fluids, etc.).

4. to equip with a baffle or baffles.

5. Obsolete. to cheat; trick.

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verb (used without object)

baffles, present (3rd person singular) baffled, past participle, past baffling present participle

1. to struggle ineffectually, as a ship in a gale.

noun

1. something that balks, checks, or deflects.

2. an artificial obstruction for checking or deflecting the flow of gases (as in a boiler), sounds (as in the loudspeaker system of a radio or hi-fi set), light (as in a darkroom), etc.

3. any boxlike enclosure or flat panel for mounting a loudspeaker.

baffle British  

/ ˈbæfəl /

verb

1. to perplex; bewilder; puzzle

2. to frustrate (plans, efforts, etc)

3. to check, restrain, or regulate (the flow of a fluid or the emission of sound or light)

4. to provide with a baffle

5. obsolete to cheat or trick

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noun

1. Also called: baffle board.   baffle plate.  a plate or mechanical device designed to restrain or regulate the flow of a fluid, the emission of light or sound, or the distribution of sound, esp in a loudspeaker or microphone

Usage

What does baffle mean? Baffle means to confuse, bewilder, perplex, or confound. The word usually implies that such confusion causes someone to come to standstill—that it stumps them or makes them completely bewildered. You might be baffled by a difficult riddle or confusing instructions. People’s strange behavior might baffle you. The term is often used in the context of experts or scientists being baffled by some newly discovered thing or phenomenon—one they can’t figure out or comprehend. Someone or something that baffles can be described as baffling. As a verb, baffle can also mean to deflect or regulate the movement or flow of something, such as gas or light. The word can also be used as a noun referring to a component or part that does this. Example: This door is completely baffling! I can never figure out how to get it unlocked. 

Synonym Usage

See thwart.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unbaffling
  adjective
• bafflement
  noun
• baffler
  noun
• baffling
  adjective
• bafflingly
  adverb
• unbafflingly
  adverb
• bafflingness
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have baffled
  perfect
• has baffled
  perfect 3rd person singular
• has been baffling
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• am baffling
  progressive 1st person singular
• baffles
  singular 3rd person
• are baffling
  progressive
• is baffling
  progressive 3rd person singular
• have been baffling
  perfect progressive
• baffling
  participle

Past

• had baffled
  perfect
• had been baffling
  perfect progressive
• were baffling
  progressive plural
• baffled
  simple
• baffled
  participle
• was baffling
  progressive singular

Future

• will baffle
  simple
• will have baffled
  perfect
• will be baffling
  progressive
• will have been baffling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of baffle

First recorded in 1540–50; 1910–15 baffle for def. 8; perhaps from Scots bauchle “to disgrace, treat with contempt,” equivalent to bauch ( see baff) + -le

Explanation

To baffle is to confuse. If you are completely puzzled as to what baffle means, you might say that this word baffles you. Baffle means "confuse," but it can also mean "amaze." A magician might baffle you with an impressive magic trick. Additionally, this verb can mean "to spoil, thwart, or defeat by means of confusion." In a debate, you might baffle the opposition by introducing new information that your opponents are not familiar with. Baffle can also be used like stump. If you are stumped by a question on a test, then you’ve been baffled by that question.

Related Words

• amaze
• astound
• befuddle
• bewilder
• confound
• confuse
• daze
• disconcert
• dumbfound
• elude
• embarrass
• faze
• mystify
• nonplus
• puzzle
• stump
• stun