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

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 bafflement

It might appear senseless but that is appearance only, our bafflement before such barbarity.
Senseless. Evil. Silver Linings. Our Misguided Terms of Terror.|William Giraldi|April 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
This accounts for some of the bafflement that occasionally greets Bachmann's statements.
Bachmann's Unrivaled Extremism|Michelle Goldberg|June 15, 2011|DAILY BEAST
His head swam, and a sickening sense of bafflement and incompetency came over him.
The Treasure of Heaven|Marie Corelli
It was fixed first on Mlanie, then on Agatha, then returned to Mlanie with an added increment of rage and bafflement.
The Stolen Singer|Martha Idell Fletcher Bellinger

Dick shook his head in bafflement, and glanced at his watch.
The Little Lady of the Big House|Jack London
Mike took heart, his experience believed and his bafflement shared.
Mr. Wicker's Window|Carley Dawson
The murky walls and the low ceiling gave forth an impression of solidity that accentuated his sense of bafflement.
The Gray Phantom's Return|Herman Landon

British Dictionary definitions for bafflement

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 bafflement

bafflement

1841, from baffle (v.) + -ment.

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.

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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Origin of baffle

Examples from the Web for bafflement

baffle

verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin for baffle

bafflement

baffle

baffle