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

Most baffling is the fact that “Wicked: For Good” exists in this state at all.

Read more on Salon

The outside world has been a baffling place for a man who went into custody when Margaret Thatcher was prime minister and the internet was unheard of.

Read more on BBC

The S-shaped copper sculpture has baffled cryptography enthusiasts since its 1990 installation on the grounds of the CIA headquarters in Virginia, with three of its four messages deciphered so far.

Read more on Barron's

"If we have this conversation in five years I'd be baffled if there wasn't a consensus that these are the two best footballers we've ever had."

Read more on BBC

So he begins to dream of another life entirely: a companion shaped like him, someone who might share his baffling immortality, his hunger, his hope.

Read more on Salon

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.