puzzle
noun
a toy, problem, or other contrivance designed to amuse by presenting difficulties to be solved by ingenuity or patient effort.
puzzled
-
past participleof puzzle.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
-
past tense formof puzzle.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
puzzlenouna toy, problem, or other contrivance designed to amuse by presenting difficulties to be solved by ingenuity or patient effort.
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.
Muthoni Macharia, who runs a restaurant in the capital, Nairobi, usually buys more than 70 packets of fresh milk - and is desperate and puzzled by the scarcity.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Yet, American officials seem puzzled that Prime Minister Mark Carney would risk trade war given the disproportionate cost Canada is likely to bear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
"We were puzzled by this for two years," Bandopadhyay says.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
Plummer’s Getty is imperious and withholding, refusing to pay the ransom for his kidnapped grandson and seemingly puzzled that anyone would expect him to.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
I’m proud of my analogy, but Elizabeth and Micah look puzzled.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
