boggle

[ bog-uh l ]

/ ˈbɒg əl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR boggle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), bog·gled, bog·gling.

to overwhelm or bewilder, as with the magnitude, complexity, or abnormality of: The speed of light boggles the mind.

to bungle; botch.

verb (used without object), bog·gled, bog·gling.

to hesitate or waver because of scruples, fear, etc.

to start or jump with fear, alarm, or surprise; shrink; shy.

to bungle awkwardly.

to be overwhelmed or bewildered.

noun

an act of shying or taking alarm.

a scruple; demur; hesitation.

bungle; botch.

Nearby words

bogey-hole, bogeyman, boggart, bogger, bogging, boggle, boggle the mind, boggler, boggy, boghazkeui, boghazköy

Origin of boggle

First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps from boggle²

Related formsbog·gling·ly, adverb

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

Examples from the Web for boggled

A Surveillance State that would have boggled the mind of Orwell was born.
Snowden Deserves the Medal of Freedom, Not Prosecution|Jay Parini|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Jessica Colaluca, creator and creative of Design Seeds: “It boggled my mind.”
Lena Dunham’s 'I'm thin for, like, Detroit’ Comment Gets Motowners Fired Up|Abby Haglage|January 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There was trouble about this second start; the colt, not having been trained, boggled and balked.
Horace Chase|Constance Fenimore Woolson
He tried the cloak next, but boggled sadly at the fastening of that, and at last was fain to call in help.
The Wide, Wide World|Susan Warner

I boggled about it at first, and thought it was a regular blind lead.
The Peril Finders|George Manville Fenn
He boggled slightly as he came to the "adjective," but got over it safely.
In the Midst of Alarms|Robert Barr
I am above concealing my sentiments, though I have boggled at uttering them.
Mary Wollstonecraft|Elizabeth Robins Pennell

British Dictionary definitions for boggled

boggle

/ (ˈbɒɡəl) /

verb (intr often foll by at)

to be surprised, confused, or alarmed (esp in the phrase the mind boggles)

to hesitate or be evasive when confronted with a problem

(tr) to baffle; bewilder; puzzle

Word Origin for boggle

C16: probably variant of bogle 1

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 boggled

boggle

1590s, "to start with fright" (as a startled horse does), from Middle English bugge "specter" (among other things, supposed to scare horses at night); see bug (n.); also cf. bogey (n.1). The meaning "to raise scruples, hesitate" is from 1630s. Related: Boggled; boggling.

boggle

verb (used with object), bog·gled, bog·gling.

verb (used without object), bog·gled, bog·gling.

noun

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Origin of boggle

Examples from the Web for boggled

British Dictionary definitions for boggled

boggle

verb (intr often foll by at)

Word Origin for boggle

Word Origin and History for boggled

boggle