boggle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to overwhelm or bewilder, as with magnitude, complexity, or strangeness.
The speed of light boggles the mind.
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to bungle; botch.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an act of shying or taking alarm.
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a mess; a bungle or botch.
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Archaic. a scruple; demur; hesitation.
verb
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to be surprised, confused, or alarmed (esp in the phrase the mind boggles )
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to hesitate or be evasive when confronted with a problem
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(tr) to baffle; bewilder; puzzle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have boggledperfect
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has boggledperfect 3rd person singular
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are bogglingprogressive
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is bogglingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am bogglingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been bogglingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been bogglingperfect progressive
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bogglessingular 3rd person
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bogglingparticiple
Past
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had boggledperfect
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had been bogglingperfect progressive
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was bogglingprogressive singular
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were bogglingprogressive plural
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boggledsimple
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boggledparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of boggle
First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps from bogle
Explanation
To boggle is to amaze, astonish, or overwhelm. Your mind might boggle at all the information your physics teacher writes on the board on the first day of class. You'll most likely find this verb in sentences like "My brain boggles at the outfit she decided to wear to the party," or "When you watch this movie, your mind will boggle at the special effects." Along with the even more common adjective mind-boggling, boggle comes from the Middle English bugge, or "specter." Boggle originally meant "spook," or "start with fright."
Vocabulary lists containing boggle
The BFG
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"Ad Power," "Without Commercials," and "What's Wrong with Advertising"
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Front Desk
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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.
They often feature steam-bent wood that makes my mind boggle when I visit, with its twists and turns.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2025
Still, it would boggle my mind if this enthralling masterpiece is overlooked when nominations are announced next month.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2022
It might boggle the mind, but I wonder if Beyoncé's approach to women's empowerment shows that even Black women can have white feminist leanings.
From Salon • Aug. 22, 2021
Even two years on, their beautifully bizarre coupling continues to boggle minds and confound pop fans, tech hobbyists, and celebrity watchers the world over.
From Slate • May 5, 2020
I can tell yer arf the right 'uns even ain't quite in the know, And there's lots o' little fakes to make 'em boggle, or go slow.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 102, February 20, 1892 by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
