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.
Economists and analysts have puzzled for several years over why an economy that looks relatively solid by traditional metrics, if not stellar, has produced such a sour public mood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
If you’re puzzled, that’s OK, you should be.
From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026
Earlier this month, the Nigerian American author posted a since-deleted video on TikTok that also left her followers puzzled in which she said there was a reason she stopped promoting the forthcoming film.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Scientists have uncovered how bacteria naturally manufacture multiple versions of powerful cancer drugs, solving a mystery that has puzzled researchers for decades.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
For weeks, the Mounties puzzled over the messages, but they had no idea how to read them.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
