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Synonyms

boggle the mind

Idioms  

  1. Bewilder or astonish with complexity, novelty, or the like, as in The very magnitude of the Milky Way boggles the mind. The source of this usage is unclear, as the verb to boggle has several other seemingly unrelated meanings—to shy away, to hesitate, to bungle. [Second half of 1900s]

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.

The scale of the solar system and our universe can boggle the mind, he added.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2024

Now regularly we see the authorities engaging in sting operations or otherwise rolling up people who are accused of engaging in levels of depravity that boggle the mind.

From Washington Times • Nov. 16, 2020

As usual when tech companies announce platform-scale statistics, the numbers involved can boggle the mind.

From The Verge • Sep. 4, 2019

Their number, and the many subjects they cover, nearly boggle the mind.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2016

The person-hours that go into each dish boggle the mind.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2014

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.