baffle
Americanverb (used with object)
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baffles,
present (3rd person singular)
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baffled,
past participle, past
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baffling
present participle
-
to confuse, bewilder, or perplex.
He was baffled by the technical language of the instructions.
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to frustrate or confound; thwart by creating confusion or bewilderment.
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to check or deflect the movement of (sound, light, fluids, etc.).
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to equip with a baffle or baffles.
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Obsolete. to cheat; trick.
verb (used without object)
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baffles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
baffled,
past participle, past
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baffling
present participle
noun
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baffles
plural
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something that balks, checks, or deflects.
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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.
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any boxlike enclosure or flat panel for mounting a loudspeaker.
verb
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to perplex; bewilder; puzzle
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to frustrate (plans, efforts, etc)
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to check, restrain, or regulate (the flow of a fluid or the emission of sound or light)
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to provide with a baffle
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obsolete to cheat or trick
noun
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
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bafflementnoun
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bafflernoun
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bafflingnessnoun
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bafflingadjective
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unbafflingadjective
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bafflinglyadverb
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unbafflinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bafflesimple
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bafflessimple
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have baffledperfect
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has baffledperfect
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am bafflingprogressive
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are bafflingprogressive
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is bafflingprogressive
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have been bafflingperfect progressive
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has been bafflingperfect progressive
Past
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baffledsimple
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had baffledperfect
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was bafflingprogressive
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were bafflingprogressive
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had been bafflingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing baffle
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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.
See Examples For:
Last year's attempt was ended in the most extraordinary style by Djokovic who, playing through the pain of a torn hamstring, used his nous to baffle Alcaraz and come through a four-set thriller.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
He empathizes with people born in the 1940s who feel irrelevant, since even 20-year-olds now baffle him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2025
The question of how these two—a vulgar revolutionary and a soft-spoken, polite epitome of the GOP old guard—have stayed together for so long, with such limited drama between them, can baffle observers.
From Slate ● Jan. 20, 2025
But it is just this demand—- the requirement that citizens find ways to navigate a social world which will, necessarily, often baffle and horrify them—- that liberal societies must impose.
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2023
If he chooses to lie hidden, he may baffle us for years; and in the meantime!—the thought is too horrible, I dare not think of it even now.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Giant steel pipe’s mysterious overnight growth spurt baffles a Japanese city.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026
Among them is Clarence Willard, billed in a 1920s Vaudeville advertisement as “the man who grows” and “completely baffles all medical and scientific experts.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
"Why anybody was rioting in other towns away from Southport, it baffles me," says Mr Iqbal.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2025
Yet still he baffles and wrongfoots people, both opponents and more neutral observers, political professionals and voters, Americans and foreigners.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2025
At the same time, it can’t be so complex that the first time around it baffles the children and turns them off.
From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
MarketWatch’s Jeffry Bartash, Jillian Berman and Greg Robb examine how a labor market with relatively few layoffs but little hiring has left job seekers struggling and economists baffled.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
She was baffled by the notice from the elections office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
"I was just baffled by the quality of the refereeing."
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
A baffled Erika felt that her mom had been replaced with a combative and paranoid stranger.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
The Underlanders were baffled by his anger and stung by his tone, even if they couldn’t understand his words.
From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins
In response, Lee Barron said it was "baffling" the council would ask for a public inquiry.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Andy Pages finally broke out of his baffling two-year October slump with a hit so powerful, it sent the Dodgers to the NLCS.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
Chutzpah, however, is sometimes all it takes to get this kind of baffling, brazen and potentially exploitative deal across the finish line.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
There have been baffling late-game breakdowns and avoidable mistakes, which inevitably leads to questions for the new head coach, Kyle Whittingham, fresh in from Utah.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
His memory loss was baffling in its complexity.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
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