puzzle out
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
One stumbling block: Rules that might once have offered guidance are gone, leaving individuals to puzzle out what’s appropriate for the workplace themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
He likens what the group is doing to “building a puzzle out of thousands of other puzzles, gluing it together to make a new thing.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Trying to puzzle out what he “really” meant, as opposed to what he actually said, will get you nowhere.
From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2025
But Maitlis says she spent years "trying to puzzle out" what the words meant.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2024
My brain struggles to puzzle out which one would be best.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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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.