dumbfounded

American

[duhm-foun-did, duhm-foun-] / dʌmˈfaʊn dɪd, ˈdʌmˌfaʊn- /

Or dumfounded

adjective

speechless with amazement; astonished or showing astonishment.

I smiled at the dumbfounded look on their faces as their eyes widened and their mouths fell slack.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of dumbfound.

Etymology

Origin of dumbfounded

dumbfound ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

And though some of the names listed have since been implicated in his crimes, or at least knew about his conviction, many others were dumbfounded to be mentioned at all because they’d never met Epstein.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

American skater Nathan Chen, the Beijing men's individual gold medallist, was dumbfounded, saying: "What a shock".

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

The South Park police force is dumbfounded by the videos, believing they are real.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

He said Mr Crocker was "dumbfounded", adding: "He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe it was so quick, either."

From BBC • Jul. 31, 2025

Taylor sat on a log and stared at the girls, dumbfounded.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

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