baffle

[ baf-uh l ]

/ ˈbæf əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR baffle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), baf·fled, baf·fling.

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), baf·fled, baf·fling.

to struggle ineffectually, as a ship in a gale.

noun

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.

Nearby words

baffies, baffin, baffin bay, baffin island, baffin, william, baffle, bafflegab, bafflement, baffleplate, baffling, baffy

Origin of baffle

1540–50; 1910–15 for def 8; perhaps < Scots bauchle to disgrace, treat with contempt, equivalent to bauch (see baff) + -le

SYNONYMS FOR baffle

1 See thwart.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR baffle ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

baf·fle·ment, nounbaf·fler, nounbaf·fling, adjectivebaf·fling·ly, adverb

baf·fling·ness, nounun·baf·fled, adjectiveun·baf·fling, adjectiveun·baf·fling·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for baffled

Servis, a general contractor, was baffled by how introverted Stone acted.
Hunt for Iraq Vet After Killing Spree|M.L. Nestel|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Still other critics are baffled that Borges was influenced by such strange and disparate sources.
Borges Had A Genius For Literature But Not Love Or Much Else|Allen Barra|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Martin Amis is not baffled by the modern world; he observes it with precision.
Martin Amis Talks About Nazis, Novels, and Cute Babies|Ronald K. Fried|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Baffled by the jargon-heavy consumer information manual, I chatted with Cheryl Luptowski from the NSF consumer affairs office.
Are Water Filters B.S.?|Michael Schulson|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Putin said in late April that he was baffled that the Americans were targeting the Russian oligarchs.
Exclusive: Putin Imposes Secret Sanctions on Pro-Gay Obama Campaign Donors|Josh Rogin|May 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Napoleon and his forces retreated, baffled and discomfited, from the field.
Liverpool a few years since|James Aspinall
Was he baffled, and was Dr. Sturk, after all, never to regain his speech?
The House by the Church-Yard|J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Its fame rests on a mystery which has baffled literary curiosity for close on half a century.
McClure's Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 2, July, 1893|Various
Being now comparatively reinvigorated, we again attempted to cross the plain which had baffled us before.
The Scout and Ranger|James Pike
My companions who were quite fresh, and who had not felt the strain of baffled purpose as I had, assumed a more encouraging tone.
Wake-Robin|John Burroughs

British Dictionary definitions for baffled

baffle

/ (ˈbæfəl) /

verb (tr)

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

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

Derived Formsbafflement, nounbaffler, noun

Word Origin for baffle

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

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

Word Origin and History for baffled (1 of 2)

baffle

1540s, "to disgrace," perhaps a Scottish respelling of bauchle "to disgrace publicly" (especially a perjured knight), which is probably related to French bafouer "to abuse, hoodwink" (16c.), possibly from baf, a natural sound of disgust, like bah (cf. German baff machen "to flabbergast"). Meaning "to bewilder, confuse" is from 1640s; that of "to defeat someone's efforts" is from 1670s. Related: Baffled; baffling.

Word Origin and History for baffled (1 of 2)

baffle

"shielding device," 1881, from baffle (v.).

baffle

verb (used with object), baf·fled, baf·fling.

verb (used without object), baf·fled, baf·fling.

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of baffle

Examples from the Web for baffled

British Dictionary definitions for baffled

baffle

verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin for baffle

Word Origin and History for baffled (1 of 2)

baffle

Word Origin and History for baffled (1 of 2)

baffle