jigsaw puzzle

American  

[jig-saw puhz-uhl] / ˈdʒɪgˌsɔ ˌpʌz əl /

noun

jigsaw puzzles plural

1. Also called picture puzzle.  a set of irregularly cut pieces of pasteboard, wood, or the like that form a picture or design when fitted together.

2. any complex, confusing situation, condition, or item, as one composed of seemingly diverse or unrelated elements.

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jigsaw puzzle British  

noun

1. a puzzle in which the player has to reassemble a picture that has been mounted on a wooden or cardboard base and cut into a large number of irregularly shaped interlocking pieces

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• jigsaw puzzles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of jigsaw puzzle

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

Anuska Tilden, 67, was working on a jigsaw puzzle one recent morning at the local senior center.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

My goal when I get home is a jigsaw puzzle — with either a podcast or jazz on in the background — until probably like 2 in the morning.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2026

It's a giant and complicated jigsaw puzzle of 130 separate track panels - not something that can be done when trains are roaring up and down.

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2025

"This incident is more complex than a 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle," Leung told AFP.

From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025

When I was in the doghouse, 1 felt as if I were assembling a jigsaw puzzle in which each piece had a specific place.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende