jigsaw puzzle

American  

[jig-saw puhz-uhl] / ˈdʒɪgˌsɔ ˌpʌz əl /

noun

1. Also called picture puzzle.  a set of irregularly cut pieces of pasteboard, wood, or the like that form a picture or design when fitted together.

2. any complex, confusing situation, condition, or item, as one composed of seemingly diverse or unrelated elements.

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jigsaw puzzle British  

noun

1. a puzzle in which the player has to reassemble a picture that has been mounted on a wooden or cardboard base and cut into a large number of irregularly shaped interlocking pieces

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Etymology

Origin of jigsaw puzzle

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

An older sister turns to sewing her bin of fabric scraps into a quilt top or putting together a jigsaw puzzle to get her dopamine.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

My goal when I get home is a jigsaw puzzle — with either a podcast or jazz on in the background — until probably like 2 in the morning.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

"This incident is more complex than a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle," Leung told AFP.

From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025

An adviser can help you put all the pieces into one big jigsaw puzzle that is your life.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 10, 2025

Broken pictures lay like a scattered jigsaw puzzle in his head.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers