dumbfound

American

[duhm-found, duhm-found] / dʌmˈfaʊnd, ˈdʌmˌfaʊnd /

Also dumbfounder, or dumfound

verb (used with object)

to make speechless with amazement; astonish.

Synonyms:

stagger, astound, confound, amaze

dumbfound British

/ dʌmˈfaʊnd /

verb

(tr) to strike dumb with astonishment; amaze

"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

Other Word Forms

dumbfounderment noun
dumfounderment noun

Etymology

Origin of dumbfound

First recorded in 1645–55; dumb + (con)found

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.

Any other result but a four or five nil win for the Gunners would be catastrophic for Arsenal and dumbfound us all.

From BBC • Mar. 3, 2024

It will defy assumption after assumption, dazzle and dumbfound, stun and stir, swerve and swerve back almost as if cackling.

From Washington Post • Dec. 18, 2022

Lavelle’s ability to dumbfound defenses will be crucial to the U.S. team’s play for the next four years and beyond.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2019

Like a telepathic infant swinging for the piñata with deathly precision, Chelsea has continued to dumbfound with its ability to overcome seemingly impossible tasks.

From New York Times • May 17, 2012

So remarkable a face-about seemed to dumbfound our men.

From The Iron Pirate A Plain Tale of Strange Happenings on the Sea by Pemberton, Max, Sir

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023