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RELATED WORDS

fix, determine, conclude, propose, settle, solve, undertake, decide, answer, agree, resolve, clarify, unravel, illustrate, analyze, elucidate, decode, deduce, translate, interpret

Nearby words

  1. puy de sancy,
  2. puy lentil,
  3. puy-de-dôme,
  4. puyallup,
  5. puzo,
  6. puzzle box,
  7. puzzle jug,
  8. puzzle out,
  9. puzzled,
  10. puzzleheaded

Origin of puzzle

First recorded in 1585–95; origin uncertain
SYNONYMS FOR puzzle
2. Puzzle, riddle, enigma refer to something baffling or confusing that is to be solved. A puzzle is a question or problem, intricate enough to be perplexing to the mind; it is sometimes a contrivance made purposely perplexing to test one's ingenuity: a crossword puzzle; The reason for their behavior remains a puzzle. A riddle is an intentionally obscure statement or question, the meaning of or answer to which is to be arrived at only by guessing: the famous riddle of the Sphinx. Enigma, originally meaning riddle, now refers to some baffling problem with connotations of mysteriousness: He will always be an enigma to me. 6. confound.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR puzzle ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formspuz·zled·ly, adverbpuz·zled·ness, nounun·puz·zle, verb (used with object), un·puz·zled, un·puz·zling.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for puzzle out

puzzle

verb

to perplex or be perplexed
(intr foll by over) to attempt the solution (of); ponder (about)he puzzled over her absence
(tr usually foll by out) to solve by mental efforthe puzzled out the meaning of the inscription

noun

a person or thing that puzzles
a problem that cannot be easily or readily solved
the state or condition of being puzzled
a toy, game, or question presenting a problem that requires skill or ingenuity for its solutionSee jigsaw puzzle, Chinese puzzle
Derived Formspuzzling, adjective

Word Origin for puzzle

C16: of unknown origin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for puzzle out
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with puzzle out

puzzle out

Clarify or solve something, as in It took him a while to puzzle out the significance of the statement. [Late 1700s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.