WordGarden.iobaffle
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /bˈæfəl/
US
- /ˈbæfəl/
Meanings
Verb
to confuse someone completely or make something hard to understand
to frustrate, foil, or hold back an effort or plan
to equip, divide, or regulate with baffles in order to control flow or reduce noise
Noun
a panel or barrier that controls or blocks the flow of air, liquid, sound, or light
Beyond the definition
If something baffles you, it completely confuses or puzzles you—like trying to assemble flat-pack furniture without the instructions! A magician's clever trick might baffle an audience, and a complex math problem can baffle even very experienced students. It suggests a feeling of being stuck, unable to grasp a concept, and searching for a way forward that seems to have vanished. You might say a cold case "baffled detectives" or that a strange, unexplained light in the sky "baffled the neighborhood."
To baffle someone means to utterly confuse, perplex, or upset them. It's more intense than being slightly puzzled; it implies a complete inability to make sense of something, leaving you feeling bewildered, blocked, and mentally stuck. For example: "The complex instructions baffled even the most experienced technicians," or "Her sudden change in mood baffled her lifelong friends."
While it is most commonly used as a verb, baffle is also a noun in technical and everyday language. As a noun, a baffle is a plate, screen, or chamber feature used to deflect or regulate the flow of sound, light, air, or fluids. This technical sense reinforces the core idea of obstruction: just as a physical baffle blocks a flow, a baffling situation can block your line of thought.
You will frequently encounter baffle in contexts involving deep mysteries, scientific anomalies, technical glitches, or unpredictable human behavior. It describes a situation where reason and observation are not enough to reach a conclusion, leaving you scratching your head in frustration. If a situation leaves you feeling that no matter how hard you think, the answer remains out of reach, it has well and truly baffled you!
Examples
- 1
Test question
The last question on the test completely baffled me.
- 2
Sudden decision
Her sudden decision to quit baffled her friends.
- 3
Technical problem
Even the technicians were baffled by the error message.
- 4
Unclear discovery
I'm still baffled as to how he found my old address.
- Patternbaffled as to how
very confused about how something happened
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Political scandal
The senator's calm smile during the scandal baffled reporters.
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- bafflenounverb
Forms
- baffledpast tenseverbnoun
- baffling-ing formverbnoun
- bafflespluralnounverb