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

“It was like a jigsaw puzzle of all the pieces from different puzzles,” Jacob said, “with a few missing.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026

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

From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025

But standing in the way of such a hybrid plan is a jigsaw puzzle of land rights and owners’ agendas, some known, others tightly guarded.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2025

An adviser can help you put all the pieces into one big jigsaw puzzle that is your life.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 10, 2025

We spent a merry, uneventful Christmas with Toot in her apartment, opening gifts and marveling at her devotion to the five-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle she had going on a card table.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama