puzzle

noun

(countable) A thing such as a complicated matter or a problem which is difficult to make sense of or understand; also, a person who is difficult to make sense of or understand; an enigma.

(countable) Often preceded by a descriptive word: a game or toy, or a problem, requiring some effort to complete or work out, which is intended as a pastime and/or to test one's mental ability.

(uncountable) The state of feeling confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; bewilderment, confusion; (countable) often in in a puzzle: an instance of this.

(countable, hunting, obsolete) Short for puzzle-peg (“a piece of wood secured under a dog's jaw to keep the dog's nose away from the ground so that it uses the scent in the air to track its quarry, and to prevent the dog from tearing the quarry once found”). [(hunting, obsolete) A piece of wood secured under a dog's jaw to keep the dog's nose away from the ground so that it uses the scent in the air to track its quarry, and to prevent the dog from tearing the quarry once found.]

verb

(transitive) (also reflexive, often passive voice) To cause (oneself or someone, or their mind, etc.) to feel confused or mystified because they cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; to confuse, to mystify, to perplex.

(transitive) To use (one's brain or mind) to try to work out a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; also, to try to work out (a complicated matter, a problem, etc.).

(intransitive) Often followed by about, over, or upon: to feel confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.

(intransitive) Often followed by about, over, or or upon: to think deeply in bewilderment to try to work out a complicated matter, a problem, etc.

(intransitive) To search in a confused or mystified manner.

(intransitive) Followed by through: to solve a complicated matter, a problem, etc., by working through confusing or difficult matters.

(transitive) (obsolete) To (intentionally) make (something) complicated or confused, and so difficult to resolve or understand; to confuse, to complicate.

(transitive) (obsolete) (chiefly passive voice) To cause (someone) to not know what to do due to some problem, situation, etc.; to bewilder, to confound, to perplex.

Synonyms for puzzle

puzzlern conundrumn riddlen enigman mystifyv perplexv mysteryn nonplusv bafflev flummoxv puzzlementn bewilderv stumpern

Synonyms & related words for puzzle

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of puzzle — including puzzler, conundrum, riddle, enigma, mystify, perplex. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to puzzle

Explore words related to puzzle — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include brainteaser, unriddle, crossword, logogriph, riddler, tangram, jigsaw, baffler. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for puzzle

Common synonyms for puzzle include puzzler, conundrum, riddle, enigma, mystify, perplex, mystery, nonplus — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.