flummox
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Etymology
Origin of flummox
First recorded in 1830–40; origin uncertain
Explanation
Does the word flummox bewilder, confound, dumbfound and generally mystify you? Well, fear no more, because flummox means all of these things! Things that flummox you are probably not that serious, and often pretty amusing and informal: a TV remote or a crossword puzzle, for example, rather than something major like why your boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with you. (Now that's unfathomable.) Get this: linguists are actually mystified as to where the word flummox comes from — they're flummoxed, in other words. It may come from an old English word, flummock, meaning "to make untidy or confuse," but no one is really sure. Now, what could be more suitable?
Vocabulary lists containing flummox
The Hobbit
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It must have slipped my mind...
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Booked
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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.
It has continued to flummox consumers in countries such as Spain and Italy, where "mermelada" and "marmellata" respectively are commonly used for spreads made from other kinds of fruit, such as plums and figs.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
That’s roughly as much as Tesla and, if it happens, will flummox traditional aerospace and defense analysts just like Tesla’s valuation can upset traditional car people.
From Barron's • Dec. 12, 2025
The provision is remarkably straightforward—a far cry from the ambiguous, sloppy, or muddled laws that typically flummox the judiciary.
From Slate • Apr. 16, 2024
It might help a few diligent users but would flummox others and probably be mostly ignored.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 10, 2023
Fern had managed to completely flummox the Establishment.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
