baffle

[baf-uhl]

verb (used with object)

baffled, baffling 

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.

verb (used without object)

baffled, baffling 

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

/ 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

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of baffle¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of baffle¹

C16: perhaps from Scottish dialect bachlen to condemn publicly; perhaps related to French bafouer to disgrace

Synonym Study

See thwart.

Example Sentences

Elen admitted she was still baffled by the discovery, leaving her with "so many questions".

Read more on BBC

At first, the wolves were baffled by the robot’s strange escape.

Read more on Literature

The US president baffled foreign government and nuclear weapons experts alike when he said he had ordered the Pentagon to start nuclear weapons testing "on an equal basis" to China and Russia.

Read more on Barron's

Between omakase, small plates and cocktails with unpronounceable ingredients, even the most devoted foodies can get baffled when they walk into a restaurant.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

They lurched from the brilliant to the baffling.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.