Synonyms

dumbfound

American

[duhm-found, duhm-found] / dʌmˈfaʊnd, ˈdʌmˌfaʊnd /

Also dumbfounder, or dumfound

verb (used with object)

to make speechless with amazement; astonish.

Synonyms:

stagger, astound, confound, amaze

dumbfound British

/ dʌmˈfaʊnd /

verb

(tr) to strike dumb with astonishment; amaze

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

dumbfounderment noun
dumfounderment noun

Etymology

Origin of dumbfound

First recorded in 1645–55; dumb + (con)found

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.

“Whether owing to that striking optimism or some other loftier force at work,” said family member Gregory Small, she had survived with pancreatic cancer for 12 years, a feat that left her doctors dumbfounded.

From Los Angeles Times

I stand there, dumbfounded for a moment, before Autumn nudges me.

From Literature

He might have been a bit dumbfounded but Bass never hesitated in accepting the challenge.

From Literature

The South Park police force is dumbfounded by the videos, believing they are real.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m kind of just dumbfounded why it’s going up so much,” said Chad Smith, 51, who with his wife owns a landscaping company in Coeur d’Alene.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023