baffle
Americanverb (used with object)
-
baffles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
baffled,
past participle, past
-
baffling
present participle
-
to confuse, bewilder, or perplex.
He was baffled by the technical language of the instructions.
-
to frustrate or confound; thwart by creating confusion or bewilderment.
-
to check or deflect the movement of (sound, light, fluids, etc.).
-
to equip with a baffle or baffles.
-
Obsolete. to cheat; trick.
verb (used without object)
-
baffles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
baffled,
past participle, past
-
baffling
present participle
noun
-
baffles
plural
-
something that balks, checks, or deflects.
-
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.
-
any boxlike enclosure or flat panel for mounting a loudspeaker.
verb
-
to perplex; bewilder; puzzle
-
to frustrate (plans, efforts, etc)
-
to check, restrain, or regulate (the flow of a fluid or the emission of sound or light)
-
to provide with a baffle
-
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
-
bafflementnoun
-
bafflernoun
-
bafflingnessnoun
-
bafflingadjective
-
unbafflingadjective
-
bafflinglyadverb
-
unbafflinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bafflesimple
-
bafflessimple
-
have baffledperfect
-
has baffledperfect
-
am bafflingprogressive
-
are bafflingprogressive
-
is bafflingprogressive
-
have been bafflingperfect progressive
-
has been bafflingperfect progressive
Past
-
baffledsimple
-
had baffledperfect
-
was bafflingprogressive
-
were bafflingprogressive
-
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
100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Devil's Arithmetic
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Beowulf vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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
“It’s an acoustical baffle that’s also soft to the touch,” he said.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
And then he noticed my pajamas, which seemed to baffle him for only a second before he said, “Oh, wow.”
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
Giant steel pipe’s mysterious overnight growth spurt baffles a Japanese city.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026
That said, the Recording Academy never goes too long without making a choice that baffles everybody, as when Jon Batiste beat Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift in 2022.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2026
“Sometimes it baffles us,” said chief prosecutor Hsing Tai-chao.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2026
The version of America to which they return, where rideshares and all-gender bathrooms are now the norm, baffles them.
From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2025
“We need to go grease the baffles on the bird feeders.”
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
Residents are baffled that a growing city is having such a money problem, with some homeowners threatening to leave.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Because of that, it always baffled me how some people managed to retire with significant wealth.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 4, 2026
During the war, he baffled international negotiators with rambling diatribes on Serbian history.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
When officers finally acted, they pulled only half the hose out, leaving the rest coiled inside the cabinet, and stood there baffled as to why the water wouldn’t flow.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
The cans baffled us at first, as they had in the grocery stores.
From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien
Durango’s Quinn Simmons continues to race like a mustached demon, and it’s a little baffling his Lidl-Trek team isn’t more committed to setting him loose to get the stage win he’s clearly eager to take.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
So what better time to drop a new album full of arcane jokes, baffling vocal affects and light conspiracy theorizing?
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
If you find that phrase baffling, consider yourself fortunate.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
BBC Sport attempts to unpick exactly what happened during one of the World Cup's more baffling episodes.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
His memory loss was baffling in its complexity.
From "The Maze Runner" by James Dashner
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.
